/       V 


lVINDICATION  \ 

OF  THE 

SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS; 

BEING 

A  REPLY  TO  A  REVIEW 

OF 

COX    ON    QUAKERISM, 

PUBLISHED  IN  THE  BIBLICAL  REPERTORY. 


By    ENOCH    LEWIS. 


He  thai  snswereth  a  matter  before  he  hearcth  it,  it  is  folly  and  shame  tnito 
him. — Prov.  xviii.  13. 


PHILADELPHIA : 
NATHAN  KITE,  No.  50  NORTH  FOURTH  STREET. 


Joseph  &  William  Kite,  Printers. 

1834. 


1 


OBSERVATIONS 


ON    A 


REVIEW   OF   COX    ON    QUAKERISM. 


In  the  fourth  number  of  the  fifth  volume  of  "  The  Biblical 
Repertory  and  Theological  Review,"  edited  in  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  and  published  in    Philadelphia,  we  find  a 
review  of  a  work  recently  published  by  S.  H.  Cox,  entitled 
"Quakerism  not  Christianity,"  &c.     The  author  of  the 
review,  under   the    appearance,    and   perhaps  with   the 
intention  of  candour  and   liberality,   has    held    up   the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  the  doctrines  they  profess,  in  a 
very  unfavourable  light.     To  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  general  character  of  Friends,  or  have  taken  the 
pains  to  understand  their  doctrines,  and  compare  them 
with  the  testimony  of  Scripture,  very  little  need  be  said, 
to  show  the  weakness  as  well  as   the   injustice  of  the 
attack,  both  of  the  author  and  his  reviewer.     If  we  could 
be  assured  that  the  readers  of  those  productions  would 
follow  the  example  of  the  noble  Bereans,  and  examine 
diligently  with  unbiassed  minds,  whether  these  things  are 
so,  we  should  feel  little  solicitude  for  the  result.     The 
author  particularly  has  manifested  a  spirit  which  must 
satisfy  any  pious  mind,  that  whatever  errors  or  defects 
may  be  attributed  to  the  people  whose  character  he  pro- 
fesses to  delineate,  he  is  not  the  man  from  whom  correct 
information  is  to  be  expected.     It  is  therefore  intended  to 
leave  him  and    his  work  to  be  judged   by  such  as  may 
choose  to  peruse  it,  and  to  take  no  further  notice  of  either. 


\ 


4  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

than  what  may  appear  needful  to  expose  the  errors  of  his 
reviewer. 

As  the  latter  has  professed  to  give  to  his  readers  not 
merely  a  criticism  on  the  work  of  S.  H.  Cox,  but  a  gen- 
eral account  of  the  principles  of  Friends,  and  in  this  part 
of  his  labour  has  presented  a  view  which  may  very  possi- 
bly mislead  those  who  are  but  little  conversant  with  the 
subject ;  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  correct  a  few  of  the  errors 
into  which,  from  ignorance  or  prejudice,  he  has  certainly 
fallen. 

Believing,  as  I  seriously  do,  that  the  doctrines  held  by 
the  Society  of  Friends,  are  essentially  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel ;  and  that  a  practical  conformity  to  them,  leads  to 
that  godliness,  which,  as  the  apostle  declares,  has  the 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to 
come,  I  cannot  but  consider  an  attempt  to  degrade  them, 
as  an  effort,  though  possibly  an  unconscious  one,  to 
obstruct  the  progress  of  vital  Christianity,  and  consequent- 
ly of  sound  morality  in  the  world. 

The  defence  of  this  society,  merely  as  a  society,  is  com- 
parativeljs  a  matter  of  little  importance.  It  is,  however, 
of  incalculable  importance,  that  sound  principles  should 
be  maintained ;  especially  when  they  lead  directly  to 
great  practical  results.  Now%  without  arrogating  to 
Friends  an  influence  which  does  not  belong  to  them,  we 
must  admit  that  many  of  the  improvements  of  civil  society 
for  which  these  latter  ages  are  remarkable,  are  the  result 
of  the  principles  which  they,  more  conspicuously  than  any 
other  people,  have  espoused  and  maintained.  I  do  not 
inquire  how  far  they,  as  a  society,  have  been  instrumental 
in  the  production  of  these  improvements ;  it  is  sufficient 
for  my  purpose,  that  their  principles,  by  whomsoever 
adopted,  have  been  the  efficient  cause.  Why  were  Friends 
the  early  and  unanimous  opponents  of  the  slave  trade ; 
but  because  the  traffic  was  repugnant  to  their  religious 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  5 

principles  ?  How  has  it  happened,  that  for  half  a  century, 
there  has  not  been,  on  the  American  continent,  a  single 
slave  retained  by  an  acknowledged  member  of  the  society, 
but  because  their  principles  were  friendly  to  the  rights  of 
man  ?  Why  are  wars  less  savage  and  sanguinary  now 
than  they  formerly  were ;  but  because  the  principles  of 
peace,  have  been  silently  making  their  way  in  the  world  ? 
Why  is  religious  toleration  so  generally  admitted,  but 
because  the  principles  for  which  Friends  have  always 
contended,  have,  to  a  certain  extent,  been  introduced  into 
general  legislation  ?  Why  has  Pennsylvania  taken  the  lead 
in  the  improvement  of  her  penal  code,  but  because  the 
general  tenor  of  her  institutions  partook  of  the  character 
and  principles  of  her  founder  ? 

If  then  the  principles  of  Friends  have  been  found,  so  far 
as  they  have  been  adopted,  productive  of  beneficial  results, 
it  appears  that  the  community  at  large,  no  less  than  the 
members  themselves,  are  deeply  interested  in  their  support. 
As  an  advocate  therefore  of  the  truth,  and  the  friend  of 
morality  and  religion,  rather  than  the  defender  of  my  own 
particular  society,  the  following  observations  are  submitted 
to  the  serious  perusal  of  the  reader. 

The  reviewer  commences  with  the  profession  of  a  deep 
sense  of  his  incompetency  for  the  task  he  had  undertaken. 
This,  to  some  readers,  may  appear  as  mere  common  place. 
I  however,  give  him  credit  for  sincerity.  In  the  first  place 
his  object  evidently  is  to  recommend  to  public  favour,  a 
ponderous  volume,  which  according  to  his  own  account  of 
it,  is  highly  exceptionable,  and  much  more  likely  to  injure 
than  promote  the  cause  of  religion.  In  the  next  place, 
he,  in  effect,  acknowledges  he  does  not  understand  the 
subject  on  which  he  is  going  to  write.  On  this  latter 
point  I  fully  agree  with  him.  Had  he  understood  what 
the  doctrines  of  the  Society  of  Friends  really  are,  he  cer- 
tainly could  not  have  held  up   such  a  distorted  caricature 


6  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

to  the  public  gaze.  With  such  a  task,  and  such  qualifi- 
cations, the  wonder  is,  not  that  he  should  feel  a  sense  of 
incompetency,  but  that  he  could  reconcile  his  conscience 
to  the  undertaking. 

When  he  greets  us  at  the  threshold,  with  the  declaration, 
that,  were  he  "  to  undertake  to  separate  the  chaff  from  the 
wheat,  by  rhetorical  rule,  he  would,  to  a  great  extent,  an- 
nihilate the  originality  and  spirit"  of  his  author's  composi- 
tion, what  is  that  but  to  acknowledga  that  the  c/io/f  con- 
stitutes the  spirit  and  essence  of  the  volume?  A  sorry 
account  of  a  work,  on  religious  subjects,  written  by  a  pro- 
fessed minister  of  the  Gospel. 

It  is  asserted  above,  that  according  to  the  reviewer's 
account,  the  work  in  question,  is  more  likely  to  injure  than 
promote  the  cause  of  religion.  Let  any  sober  Christian 
examine  the  following  passage,  and  decide  for  himself, 
whether  the  assertion  is  not  fully  sustained  by  it.  "  It  is 
a  most  amusing  buok.  This  might  be  easily  enough  infer- 
red from  what  we  have  said  already.  Besides  the  mul- 
tiplied instances  of  pseudo-English  and  of  Latin  quotation 
to  which  we  have  just  referred,  the  book  teems  with  genuine 
wit.  This  is  evidently  a  prominent  ingredient  in  the 
composition  of  the  doctor's  mind,  and  in  the  present  work 
there  is  certainly  no  eftbrt  to  repress  it.  We  doubt  whether 
it  would  be  possible,  even  for  a  Quaker,  to  read  some 
parts  of  it,  without  finding  his  accustomed  gravity  dis- 
turbed, though  he  might  hold  in  perfect  abhorrence  the 
sentiments  inculcated.  This  characteristic  certainly  gives 
it  one  important  advantage,  inasmuch  as  it  beguiles  the 
reader  of  the  tedium  which  might  otherwise  be  occasioned 
by  the  perusal  of  so  large  a  volume.  We  assure  our 
readers,  who  may  hesitate  to  encounter  it,  on  account  of 
its  size,  that  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  it,  they  will 
find  nothing  dry  or  prosing ;  and  we  should  not  be  sur- 
prised, if,  when  they  have  once  ascertained  its  character, 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  7 

instead  of  making  haste  to  finish  it,  as  if  it  were  a  task, 
they  should  lay  it  by  to  be  taken  in  small  potions  as  an 
antidote  to  low  spirits.  Nevertheless,  we  are  not  quite 
sure  but  that,  considering  the  subjects  on  which  the  author 
writes,  he  has  scattered  through  his  volume  an  undue  pro- 
portion of  humour.  The  subject  is  a  serious  one,  and 
involves  the  most  momentous  interests  of  man,  and  though 
the  doctor  has  certainly  intended  on  the  whole  to  treat  it 
seriously,  yet  we  think  the  inveterate  playfulness  of  his 
mind,  has  sometimes  thrown  around  it  a  ludicrous  air 
which  his  own  better  judgment  would  hardly  approve. 
In  reading  some  portions  of  it,  we  can  hardly  repress  the 
fear  that  ice  are  laughing  where  we  ought  to  be  sober,  and 
not  merely  at  the  expense  of  the  Quakers,  but,  indirectly 
at  least,  at  the  expense  of  divine  truth.'^  Is  a  work,  osten- 
sibly designed  to  illustrate  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  in 
which  wit  and  humour  are  the  "  prominent  ingredients" — 
a  work  which  would  excite  a  smile,  even  in  those  who 
should  "  abhor  its  sentiments" — a  book  to  be  taken  up  as  a 
jest  book,  and  read  in  detached  portions  when  we  might 
wish  to  laugh  at  serious  things — such  an  one  as  any  man, 
who  pays  even  a  decent  respect  to  religion,  could  consci- 
entiously advise  either  young  or  old  to  read  ?  Is  an  author 
who  treats  the  solemn  subject  of  the  soul's  salvation  with 
levity — who  is  so  totally  destitute  of  the  feeling  which 
such  a  subject  demands,  as  to  be  unable,  notwithstanding 
his  efforts  at  seriousness,  to  give  it  any  other  than  a 
ludicrous  air,  the  kind  of  guide,  whom  the  really  awakened 
pilgrim  would  wish  to  consult  in  his  inquiries  after  the 
right  way  of  the  Lord  ?  And  what  are  we  to  think  of  the 
commentator  who  can  recommend  such  a  book,  and  for 
such  reasons,  to  the  favour  of  his  reader?  If  he  "  could 
hardly  repress  the  fear  that  he  was  laughing  at  the  expense 
of  divine  truth,"  while  reading  some  portions  of  this  "  most 
amusing  book,"  did  the  thought  never  occur  to  him,  that 


8  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

some  of  his  readers,  who  might  be  induced  by  his  recom- 
mendation to  read  it,  might  possibly  find  their  propensity 
to  "  laugh  at  the  expense  of  divine  truth,"  so  far  increased 
as  to  lose  their  relish  for  serious  subjects,  and  become  pre- 
pared to  occupy  the  seat  of  the  scornful  ? 

If  the  work  is  actually  such,  as  the  above  quotation 
represents  it  to  be,  we  can  hardly  resist  the  conclusion, 
that  it  is  even  worse  than  the  works  of  Voltaire  and  his 
infidel  school.  Those,  who  are  content  to  laugh  at  the 
expense  of  divine  truth,  may  be  sufficiently  gratified  by 
this  class  of  writers.  Wit  as  sparkling  as  that  of  Dr.  Cox, 
they  unquestionably  exhibit ;  and  perhaps  vulgarity  as 
coarse,  may  be  found  in  some  of  them  ;  but  the  reader  who 
ventures  to  peruse  them,  is  more  likely  to  be  on  his  guard 
than  in  the  case  before  us.  They  openly  appear  as  the 
opponents,  not  the  advocates,  of  the  Christian  religion. 

It  is  well  known  that  ridicule  is  the  weapon  with  which 
the  cause  of  piety  has,  in  all  ages,  been  most  successfully 
assailed;  and  that  upon  which  the  infidel  chiefly  relies. 
Wit  and  satire  are  often  employed  to  supply  the  want  of 
argument.  But  the  writer  on  religious  topics,  whose 
aim  is  truth,  and  whose  mind  is  deeply  impressed  with 
the  awfulness  of  his  subject,  can  hardly  fail  to  maintain 
the  gravity  which  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness  re- 
quire. The  serious  advocate  of  truth  must  be  aware 
that  the  discussion  of  solemn  subjects  in  a  light  and  frivo- 
lous manner,  must  strike  the  mind  of  the  sincere  inquirer 
with  disgust,  and  bring  the  cause  of  religion  itself  into 
contempt,  in  the  view  of  the  inconsiderate  and  unstable. 

Immediately  following  the  passage  above  cited,  our  re- 
viewer informs  us,  that  the  book  is  a  highly  instructive 
one.  For  this  two  reasons  are  given.  In  the  first  place, 
his  author  is  said  to  be  thoroughly  read  in  the  standard 
works  of  the  sect.  What  advantage  this  could  be,  sup- 
posing the  fact  to  be  correctly  stated,  is  not  altogether 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  9 

obvious,  if  we  are  to  admit  the  truth  of  the  reviewer's 
previous  assertion,  that  "  there  is  so  much  of  mysticism 
belonging  to  the  system  of  the  Quakers,  and  so  much 
apparent  contradiction  in  their  standard  authors,  as  to 
render  it  nearly  a  hopeless  task  to  arrive  at  any  thing  like 
certainty  in  respect  to  what  really  constitute  their  dis- 
tinguishing tenets."  This  passage  aims  a  blow  at  the 
doctrines  of  Friends  which  recoils  on  its  author.  Though 
I  am  far  from  admitting  the  correctness  of  the  statement, 
I  think  one  important  inference  is  clearly  deducible  from 
the  passage.  If  a  person  should  gravely  assert  that  the 
writings  of  Euclid  and  Appolonius  were  unintelligible,  or, 
as  some  ignorant  critics  have  done,  that  Newton's  exposi- 
tion of  the  tides  was  contradictory,  the  necessary  conclu- 
sion would  be,  not  that  these  fathers  of  science  were 
chargeable  with  the  defects  attributed  to  them,  but  that 
the  objector  had  never  made  himself  master  of  their  doc- 
trines. It  must  indeed  appear,  from  the  passage  just 
quoted,  as  well  as  several  others,  that  neither  the  perusal 
of  our  standard  works,  nor  his  author's  exposition  of  them, 
has  enabled  the  reviewer  to  understand  the  doctrines 
which  he  and  his  author  have  agreed  to  condemn.  How 
then  could  he  decide  whether  the  latter  understood  them 
or  not  ?  If  he  did  not,  the  circumstance  of  his  having  reorf 
them  would  probably  contribute  as  little  to  the  edification 
of  his  readers  as  it  had  to  himself. 

His  second  reason  was  copied  from  the  title  page  of  his 
author.  He  had  been  twenty  years  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  If  other  parts  of  the  essay  did  not 
exclude  the  supposition,  we  might  readily  imagine  that 
this  observation  was  designed  as  a  burlesque  on  his  author. 
From  the  prominence  with  which  this  circumstance  is 
exhibited  in  the  title  page,  an  incautious  reader,  would 
almost  necessarily  conclude,  that  these  twenty  years  must 

have  been  the  years  of  manhood,  or  at  least,  the  years  of 

o 


10  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

discretion.  If  this  was  not  the  impression  intended  to  be 
made,  ii  is  not  easy  to  explain  the  apparent  importance 
attached  to  it.  The  reviewer  however  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  deceived  by  it.  He  seems  to  have  understood 
the  meaning  of  this  momentous  annunciation.  His  author 
had  been  allowed  the  privilege,  which  children  whose  pa- 
rents are  Friends  are  always  allowed,  until  forfeited  or 
renounced  by  themselves.  That  privilege  it  appears, 
moreover,  was  possessed,  however  it  may  have  been  used, 
until  he  was  within  about  one  year  of  legal  age.  As  it 
is  generally  understood  that  young  men  during  their  mi- 
nority are  under  the  care  of  parents  or  guardians,  the 
instances  are  very  rare  indeed,  in  which  the  discipline  of 
the  society  is  so  far  applied  to  them,  as  to  exclude  them 
from  membership,  until  they  attain  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
The  case  before  us,  however,  is  one  of  those  rare  on6s. 
S.  H.  Cox,  it  appears,  was  regularly  disowned,  about  a 
year  before  he  was  competent  to  engage  in  the  usual 
vocations  of  men.  And  from  his  own  account,  it  appears 
highly  probably  that  if  the  overseers,  whose  duty  it  is  to 
bring  the  conduct  of  delinquent  members  into  the  view  of 
their  meetings,  had  been  apprised  of  the  course  he  was 
pursuing,  he  might  have  been  testified  against  sooner  than 
he  was.  His  attendance  of  the  theatre,  had  it  been  known, 
would  very  probably  have  led  to  that  result.  Yet  we  are 
told,  as  a  matter  of  great  importance,  that  he  had  been  for 
about  twenty  years  one  of  the  sect ;  was  educated  in  all 
their  peculiarities;  was  conversant  with  their  most  dis- 
tinguished preachers  ;  was  a  regular  attendant  upon  their 
meetings,  and  had  the  best  possible  ojyportunilies  of  knowing 
both  what  they  believe  and  practise.  It  is  unquestionably 
true,  that  he  was  for  a  time  educated  in  the  peculiarities  of 
Friends,  but  this  must  have  been  during  childhood,  as  he 
is  well  known  to  have  rejected  those  peculiarities  at  a 
very  early  age.     That  he  was  a  wild,  erratic  youth,  who 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  H 

never  regarded  the  rules  or  principles  of  Friends,  any 
longer  than  he  was  restrained,  by  parental  or  other  au- 
thority, cannot  be  denied. 

Ilis  acquaintance  with  the  most  distinguished  preach- 
ers appears,  from  his  own  account,  to  have  extended  but 
little  beyond  Elias  Hicks,  and  another  who  joined  his  stan- 
dard. If  it  was  from  these  sources,  he  derived  his  know- 
ledge of  the  principles  of  Friends,  his  acquaintance  was 
not  likely  to  be  very  accurate.  If  a  mere  education  in  the 
society,  and  the  attendance  of  our  meetings,  during  a  few 
of  the  earliest  years  of  life,  must  necessarily  have  brought 
such  a  boy  as  he  was,  into  an  intimate  knowledge  of  our 
practice  and  belief,  there  was  little  reason  to  complain  of 
the  great  deficiency  of  religious  instruction,  which  the  re- 
viewer in  a  subsequent  passage  so  pathetically  deplores. 
The  assertion  that  he  had  the  best  possible  opportunity  of 
knowing  both  what  Friends  believed  and  practised  is  too 
reckless  to  merit  a  reply.  I  would  not  willingly  charge 
the  reviewer  with  intentional  misrepresentation,  yet  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  avoid  the  apprehension  that  he  de- 
signed to  mislead  his  readers,  or  was  grossly  deceived  him- 
self. A  reader,  unacquainted  with  the  true  state  of  the 
case,  must  suppose  from  the  reviewer's  account,  that  S.  H. 
Cox  had  been  a  regular  and  consistent  member,  holding 
the  principles  of  Friends,  conforming  to  all  their  peculiari- 
ties, and  associating  upon  equal  terms  with  their  most  dis- 
tinguished ministers;  and  that  after  such  a  life,  of  about 
twenty  years,  he  had  been  induced,  from  a  full  conviction 
of  the  errors  of  their  system,  reluctantly  to  abandon  the 
profession.  The  single  fact  as  stated  by  himself,  that  he 
was,  during  a  portion  of  these  twenty  years,  in  the  prac- 
tice of  attending  the  theatre,  is  sufficient  to  show  the  dis- 
crepancy of  the  picture.  That  a  young  man  who  found 
the  profession  too  great  a  restraint  on  his  wayward  pas- 
sions, who  knew  little  of  it  except  as  a  standard  which  he 


12  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

resolved  never  to  follow,  should,  upon  being  touched  with 
compunction  for  his  irreligious  course,  take  refuge  in  a  so- 
ciety which  allowed  greater  liberty  to  its  professors,  is  not 
indeed  a  subject  of  surprise.  Nor  is  it  wonderful,  if, 
finding  himself  ill  at  ease  in  his  new  profession,  he  should 
labour  to  convince  himself  and  others,  that  there  were 
numerous  radical  errors  in  the  doctrines  or  practice  of  the 
society  which  he  had  abandoned.  That  this  was  the  case 
with  S.  H.  Cox  appears  very  probable,  from  the  manner 
in  which  he  has  treated  the  subject.  If  he  really  believed 
the  system  of  Quakerism  as  erroneous  as  he  attempted  to 
make  it  appear,  why  did  he  not  expose  the  error  by  sober 
argument  ?  And  if  the  standard  authors  contained  the 
absurdities  ascribed  to  them,  where  was  the  need  of  per- 
verting their  meaning. 

It  is  observable,  that  although  the  reviewer  appears 
fully  sensible,  that  his  author  has  treated  the  Society  of 
Friends  in  a  very  harsh  and  abusive  manner ;  and  has 
manifested  through  the  whole  course  of  his  work,  a  spirit 
totally  incompatible  with  the  meekness  of  the  Christian 
character ;  yet  instead  of  passing  upon  him  and  his  book 
the  censure,  which,  according  to  his  own  account,  they 
justly  deserve,  an  apology  is  industriously  sought  in  the 
"  peculiar  character  of  his  mind,"  as  well  as  his  circumstan- 
ces and  situation.  The  apology,  however,  as  well  as  the 
conduct  it  palliates,  is  sadly  defective.  His  mind,  it  is 
true,  appears  strongly  marked  with  some  characteristics, 
if  not  peculiarities,  which  a  little  acquaintance  with  the 
Gospel  spirit  must  have  regulated  or  controlled.  But  we 
are  told,  "  he  had  been  twenty  years  in  bondage  to  the 
errors"  which  he  was  endeavouring  to  expose.  What  ex- 
cuse that  could  furnish  for  treating  with  severity  those 
who  retain  the  profession,  even  supposing  the  profession 
erroneous,  is  not  easily  perceived.  If  we  could  believe 
that  he  had,  for  twenty  years,  sincerely  and  honestly  held 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  13 

the  system  and  doctrines  of  Friends ;  and,  at  the  end 
of  that  period,  had  as  honestly  adopted  the  opinions  of 
Calvin,  we  must  still  suppose  that  he  had  with  his  change 
of  opinion,  imbibed  a  spirit  directly  the  reverse  of  that 
which  the  doctrines  of  Friends  inculcate,  or  he  could  not 
possibly  manifest  or  indulge  a  disposition,  such  as  his 
reviewer  describes.  But  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  as- 
sertion, that  he  had  been  ticenty  years  in  bondage  to  the 
errors  of  the  society  ?  Did  the  reviewer  suppose  that  he 
was  in  bondage  to  an  erroneous  system  of  doctrines  before 
he  knew  his  right  hand  from  his  left?  Or  does  he  wish  his 
reader  to  forget  in  what  manner  these  twenty  years  were 
computed  ?  The  simple,  unvarnished  fact,  that  he  was 
born  within  the  pale  of  the  society ;  never  had  any  other 
than  a  juvenile  connexion  with  it;  paid  little  or  no  regard 
to  its  principles  and  restraints,  even  while  he  remained  in 
nominal  membership ;  and,  finally  renounced  the  profes- 
sion altogether,  and  was  disowned  in  his  twentieth  year, 
does  not  appear  to  have  suited  either  the  doctor  or  his 
reviewer. 

The  declaration  that  all  this  ridicule  and  severity  are 
directed  against  the  doctrines  of  the  society  and  not 
against  the  people,  is  not  only  incorrect  in  fact,  but  impos- 
sible in  the  nature  of  things.  Sober  argument  may  apply 
to  opinions,  and  these,  if  erroneous,  may  be  exposed  with 
the  plainness  of  honest  conviction ;  but  sarcasm  and  rid-  ^_  ^ 
j^cul^have  no  application  without  a  sensitive  obiect._  ^  ^ 
The  reviewer,  indeed,  sufficiently  contradicts  his  own  as- 
sertion by  the  declaration  that  he  should  not  be  surprised 
if  some  of  Cox's  quondam  friends,  "  should  be  willing  to 
encounter  the  doctor  with  weapons  more  carnal  than 
logic  or  sarcasm."  This  certainly  implies  that  the  attack 
WAS  personal,  not  merely  doctrinal.  It  also  appears,  that 
the  reviewer  supposed  the  abuse  too  gross  and  offensive  to 
be  patiently  borne^even  by  the  pacific  Society  of  Friends. 


14  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

Did  he  in  this  case  judge  of  others  by  himself?  The  per- 
sonal character  of  the  attack  is  also  excused  by  certain 
personal  aftVonts,  which  his  jyreacher  of  the  gospel  is  said 
to  have  received.  Friends,  it  is  stated,  have  pursued  him 
both  with  their  written  and  oral  communications.  Are 
we  to  suppose  that  these  personal  affronts  excited  the  doc- 
tor's zeal,  and  armed  him  with  all  the  weapons  of  ridicule 
and  sarcasm  against  the  doctrines  of  his  quondam  breth- 
ren, but  left  him  calm  and  placid  towards  \\\q  persons 
who  had  given  the  affi'onts  ?  Or  did  the  reviewer  himself 
entertain,  or  wish  others  to  adopt  the  opinion,  that  any 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  would  be  willing  to  re- 
sort to  weapons  more  carnal  than  logic  or  sarcasm,  to 
repel  an  attack  which  was  aimed  at  their  doctrines,  and 
not  at  themselves  ? 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  exactly  what  is  meant  by  the 
charge,  that  Friends  have  pursued  his  author,  with  their 
oral  and  written  communications.  From  its  being  made 
the  basis  of  an  excuse  for  the  harshness  with  which  he  has 
treated  the  society  in  general,  as  well  as  its  juxtaposition 
with  the  act  of  excision,  it  would  seem  to  imply  that  the 
society,  in  its  collective  capacity,  had,  subsequently  to  his 
disownment,  made  him  the  object  of  some  official  proceed- 
ing. The  assertion,  construed  in  that  manner,  may  be 
confidently  met  by  an  unqualified  denial.  It  is  possible 
that  some  of  his  relatives  or  particular  friends  may  have 
spoken  and  written  to  him  on  thesubiect  of  religion.  But 
he  may  rest  assured,  that  the  space  which  he  has  occupied 
in  the  view  of  Friends,  either  since  the  publication  of  his 
book,  or  before  it,  was  very  small  indeed.  Nor  is  it  very 
probable  the  case  will  be  much  changed  in  time  to  come. 
His  ponderous  volume  will,  in  all  probability,  be  left  to 
find  its  way  to  oblivion,  without  any  effort,  on  their  part, 
to  hasten  its  exit  or  prolong  its  date.  It  would  appear 
like  a  work  of  supererogation  for  any  of  them  to  spend 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  15 

their  time  in  refuting  it,  when  its  avowed  eulogist  has 
found  so  much  to  condemn  and  so  little  to  commend.  As 
to  the  man  himself,  he  is  unquestionably  considered  as  an 
object  of  pity  rather  than  resentment.  It  is  indeed  a  sub- 
ject of  serious  regret,  that  any  professor  of  the  religion  of 
Christ,  should  so  far  forget,  or  fail  to  understand,  the  purity 
and  dignity  of  his  profession,  as  to  substitute  the  bitterness 
of  invective  for  persuasion  and  argument;  and  bis  advo- 
cate may  be  assured  that  we  have  no  wish  to  imbibe  his 
spirit  or  imitate  his  example. 

We  are  told  that  the  book  is  strongly  marked  by  a 
desire  to  do  good.  With  the  motives  of  the  author,  I  have 
little  concern.  To  his  own  master  let  him  answer  for  his 
motives.  It  is  obvious,  however,  from  the  reviewer's  own 
account,  that  the  means  which  he  has  adopted,  and  the 
spirit  which  pervades  the  work,  are  unfavourable,  in  the 
highest  degree,  to  the  attainment  of  good.  And  we  can 
rest  satisfied  that  the  attempt,  thus  strenuously  made,  to 
render  the  society  and  its  principles  odious,  will  be  as 
inefficient  in  its  result,  as  it  is  unjustifiable  in  its  means. 

The  conclusion  deducible  from  this  examination,  is  not  a 
mere  theoretical,  but  an  important  practical  one — that 
the  religion  which  the  author  in  question,  and  his  reviewer, 
are  endeavouring  to  exalt  on  the  ruins  of  Quakerism,  is 
not  the  religion  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  Their  weapons 
were  obtained  from  a  different  armoury. 

The  reviewer,  having  devoted  about  half  a  dozen  pages 
to  Samuel  H.  Cox's  book,  proceeds  to  what  he  calls  a 
"  general  view  of  the  system  which  the  Quakers  hold." 
This,  from  the  space  allotted  to  it,  would  appear  to  be  the 
principal  business  of  the  essay.  In  the  examination  of  this 
part  of  his  labour,  four  things  are  particularly  striking. 

First.  II is  very  great  want  of  acquaintance  with  the 
subject  which  he  proposes  to  explain. 

Second.     His  constant  endeavour  to  establish,  by  some 


IQ  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

kind  of  reasoning,  a  set  of  conclusions  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  facts  which  he  has  expressly  admitted. 

Third.  His  frequent  assumption,  not  of  facts  known  to 
be  true,  but  of  such  as  his  theory  required. 

Fourth.  The  vague  and  indefinite  nature  of  the  charges 
which  he  brings  against  the  doctrines  of  Friends. 

His  want  of  acquaintance  with  the  subject  might  be 
fairlv  inferred  from  his  own  repeated  acknowledgment. 
He  tells  us  in  so  many  plain  words,  that  his  own  "  views 
are  far  from  being  settled  in  respect  to  what  constituted 
the  original  doctrines  of  the  society."  And  as  he  admits 
the  correctness  of  the  legal  decision  at  Trenton,  the  ac- 
knowledgment must  be  equally  applicable  to  the  doctrines 
which  they  hold  at  the  present  day.*  But  we  are  not 
left  to  this  testimony  alone.  The  mists  and  mysticism  of 
Quakerism  seem  to  be  the  burden  of  his  theme.  What  is 
this  but  a  declaration  that  he  cannot  understand  their 
doctrine.  To  discover  that  an  opinion  is  really  erroneous, 
it  is  necessary  to  penetrate  the  mists  in  which  it  is  shroud- 


*  It  may  be  proper  here,  once  for  all,  to  apprise  the  reader, 
that  the  writer  of  this  article  claims  no  religious  communion 
with  the  followers  of  Elias  Hicks.  He  considers  the  Separation 
as  an  eflfect  resulting  from  the  adoption,  on  their  part,  of  opin- 
ions totally  incompatible  with  the  doctrines  of  Friends.  What 
those  opinions  are,  is  of  little  importance  in  the  present  discus- 
sion. No  inquiry  is  here  intended  whether  the  reviewer  has 
represented  them  correctly  or  not.  It  is  the  Society  of  Friends, 
not  the  adherents  of  Elias  Hicks,  whose  doctrines  and  character 
he  is  endeavouring  to  vindicate.  He  is  also  wilHng  to  leave  to 
the  reviewer  the  task  of  explaining  how  it  has  happened,  if 
"  the  Quakerism  of  the  Hicksites  is,  in  all  its  substantial  cha- 
racteristics, tlie  infidelity  of  David  Hume,"  that  his  minister  of 
the  Gospel  manifests  the  partiality  to  them,  which  he  does. 
Is  it  from  similarity  of  temper  or  congeniality  of  principle? 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  17 

ed,  and  whatever  ambiguity  of  language  may  be  supposed 
to  attend  it,  the  doctrine  of  Friends,  like  every  thing  else, 
ceases  to  be  mystical  as  soon  as  it  is  understood.  A 
further  evidence  of  want  of  acquaintance  with  his  subject, 
is  furnished  by  his  numerous  mistakes  in  point  of  fact. 
Not  wishing  to  impeach  his  veracity,  I  adopt  the  only 
alternative,  that  of  imputing  to  ignorance,  the  discrepancy 
between  his  statements  and  the  sober  truth.  Who,  that 
has  a  character  to  preserve  or  lose,  would  willingly  haz- 
ard his  reputation  by  giving  publicity  to  misrepresenta- 
tions so  easily  exposed  ?  The  assertion,  that  "  in  those 
points  which  relate  imm  diately  to  the  economy  of  human 
salvation,  the  most  orthodox  Quakerism,  so  far  as  we  are 
able  to  understand  it,  is  thoroughly  Arminian,"  or,  as  it  is 
elsewhere  expressed,  that  "  the  system  is  in  its  best  form, 
a  species  of  mystified  Arminianism,"  manifests  an  ignorance 
of  the'subject  or  a  vagueness  of  expression,  hardly  excu- 
sable in  a  volunteer  expositor  of  their  doctrines.  It  is  true 
that  Friends  agree  with  the  Arminians  in  the  denial  of  the 
Calvinistic  doctrine  of  unconditional  election  and  reproba- 
tion. Yet  even  on  this  point,  the  Arminian  doctrine  in- 
cludes some  speculations  which  never  appear  in  the 
writings  of  Friends.  They  also,  with  the  Arminians, 
agree  that  the  atonement  was  made,  not  as  the  Calvinists 
assert,  for  an  elect  few,  but  for  all  mankind.  But  they  do 
not  adopt  the  article  of  the  Arminian  creed,  which  fur- 
nishes the  strongest  argument  to  their  Calvinistic  oppo- 
nents, the  absolute  necessity  of  a  knowledge  of  the  history 
of  the  life  and  death  of  the  Messiah,  to  render  it  availing 
to  salvation.  Friends  do  not  adopt  the  opinions  of  Armin- 
ius,  or  any  other  writer  ancient  or  modern,  any  further 
than  they  appear  consistent  with  the  testimony  of  the 
sacred  writings.  The  history  of  George  Fox's  life,  clearly 
shows  that  he  was  a  diligent  reader  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  carefully  attentive  to  the  manifestations  of  divine  truth 

3 


18  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

in  his  own  mind ;  but  that  the  laboured  productions  of 
divinity  professors  had  no  part  in  the  formation  of  his  doc- 
trinal opinions.  The  num^-ous  instances  in  which  Robert 
Barclay  points  out  the  difference  between  the  doctrines  of 
Friends,  and  those  held  by  the  Arminian  .*  are  amply 
sufficient  to  prove  the  incorrectness  of  the  reviewer's 
assertion. 

His  brief  historical  view  of  the  society,  would  have 
been  somewhat  more  instructive,  if  he  had  followed  more 
closely  the  best  accounts  of  the  time.  Had  he  told  us,  as 
he  certainly  might,  that  the  persecutions  to  which,  in  the 
early  periods  of  the  society.  Friends  were  subjected,  were 
principally  excited  by  the  clergy,  he  would  have  cast  a 
strong  light  on  the  unpardonable  sin  of  Quakerism.  It 
might  have  appeared,  that  their  unflinching  testimony  for 
a  free  gospel  ministry,  and  their  unqualified  denunciation 
of  the  practice  of  preaching  for  hire  and  divining  for 
money,  aroused  the  indignation  of  the  whole  clerical  body, 
and  raised,  through  their  means,  the  secular  arm  against 
them.  This  piece  of  historical  information,  would  have 
been  the  more  instructive  and  appropriate,  as  it  would 
probably  have  explained,  if  it  did  not  excuse,  his  author's 
severity  towards  their  successors. 

In  this  part  of  his  progress  he  has  needlessly  turned  out 
of  his  way,  to  notice  the  persecutions  in  New  England. 
While  he  admits  that  the  conduct  of  the  New  England 
persecutors  was  totally  irreconcilable  with  the  spirit  of 
the  Gospel,  and  incapable  of  rational  defence,  he  seems  to 
forget  that  these  barbarities  were  stimulated  and  encou- 
raged by  the  professed  ministers  of  religion;  and  endea- 
vours to  palliate  those  atrocities  which  the  common  sense 
of  the  present  age  has  agreed  to  condemn.     He  conceives 


See  pages  110.  129.  148.  177.  373,  of  his  Apology. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  19 

that  much  allowance  must  be  made  on  account  of  the  spirit 
of  the  age,  and  the  imperfect  knowledge  then  possessed  of 
the  rights  of  man.  Besides,  he  says,  "  it  is  not  to  be  for- 
gotten that  the  conduct  of  the  Quakers  was,  in  many 
instances,  exceedingly  reprehensible.  It  is  matter  of  his- 
torical record,  that  they  frequently  entered  religious  assem- 
blies of  other  denominations,  loith  a  view  to  disturh  their 
worship  ;  calling  their  preachers  by  the  most  approbrious 
epithets."  Here  one  or  two  observations  seem  naturally 
to  arise.  If  Friends  were  really  guilty  of  disturbing  the 
peace  of  the  community,  why  did  they  not  enact  laws  to 
prohibit  or  punish  for  the  offensive  acts,  and  not  punish 
every  one  who  bore  the  name  of  a  Quaker,  whether  guilty 
of  any  misdemeanor  or  not. 

As  their  laws  were  enacted,  not  against  disturbers  of  the 
public  peace,  but  against  the  Quakers,  simply  as  such,  we 
have  a  strong  negative  evidence,  that  they  really  had  no 
palpable  misdemeanors  to  charge  against  them.  The  first 
individuals  of  this  society  who  visited  New  England, 
were  Mary  Fisher  and  Ann  Austin,  who  arrived  in  the 
Boston  road  in  the  summer  of  1656.  Though  there  was 
then,  no  law  in  the  colony  against  the  Quakers,  these 
women  were  seized  on  board  the  vessels,  stripped  of  their 
property,  and  committed  to  prison,  where  they  were  treat- 
ed with  the  greatest  barbarity  ;  and  after  several  weeks  of 
close  confinement,  they  were  sent  away  without  being 
charged  with  a  crime,  or  allowed  the  opportunity  of  com- 
mitting an  offence.  Others  who  arrived  soon  afterwards 
were  treated  with  equal  barbarity,  and  expelled  the  coun- 
try in  a  similar  manner.  They  were  seized,  confined  and 
banished,  without  being  charged  with  the  violation  of  law, 
but  simply  because  they  were  Quakers.  Laws  were  soon 
enacted,  to  prevent  their  introduction,  or  to  banish  them 
when  they  came,  upon  the  solitary  ground  of  their  reli- 
gious profession. 


20  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

As  it  is  generally  understood  that  the  people  of  the  pres- 
ent day  are  possessed  of  much  more  liberal  and  tolerant 
principles,  there  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  Friends, 
to  reproach  them  with  the  conductof  their  ancestors.  Far 
be  it  from  us  to  insinuate,  that  there  is  any  analogy  be- 
tween the  character  of  those  persecutors,  and  that  of 
their  successors  in  religious  profession  of  the  present  times, 
unless  the  latter  should  prove  that  they  allow  the  deeds  of 
their  fathers,  by  attempting  to  palliate  them. 

The  reviewer  appears  anxious  to  persuade  his  readers, 
that  there  is  some  serious  and  radical  error  in  the  doc- 
trines of  Friends,  and  that  their  evil  tendency  has  been 
too  much  overlooked.  What  those  evil  tendencies  are,  he 
has  not  condescended  to  explain.  He  has,  however,  I 
admit,  given  a  tolerably  satisfactory  reason,  why  they 
have  been  so  generally  overlooked.  It  seems  indeed  dif- 
ficult, even  for  a  professed  advocate,  to  find  a  better.  It 
is  in  plain  English,  nothing  else  than  this ;  they  are  totally 
invisible.  If  the  fact  is,  as  he  admits  it  to  be,  that  the 
system  has  for  the  most  part  justly  claimed  a  peculiarly 
inoflfensive  character ;  has  been  found  zealously  enlisted 
against  great  and  acknowledged  evils ;  has  been  honest  in 
its  dealings,  and  exemplary  in  its  morality ;  what  reason 
is  there  to  suppose,  that  "a  system  which  has  led  to  so 
many  good  results,"  and  is  not  shown  to  have  led  to  any 
bad  ones,  "  is  materially  at  variance  with  the  law  and  the 
testimony."  Has  the  reviewer  discovered  a  safer  criterion 
than  that  selected  by  the  lip  of  wMsdom, — The  tree  is 
known  by  its  fruit  ?  Or  does  he  suppose  that  grapes  are 
now  to  be  gathered  from  thorns,  or  figs  from  thistles  ?  To 
such  an  objector  as  this,  we  may  reply  in  the  language  of 
the  Apostle,  "  show  me  thy  faith  without  works,  and  I  will 
show  thee  my  faith  by  my  works." 

He  pronounces  a  just,  though  limited  eulogium,  on  the 
character  of  William  Penn ;  plainly  showing  that  the  prin- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  21 

ciples  upon  which  he  acted  must  have  been  excellent  in 
practice,  whatever  they  were  in  theory ;  while  the  only 
objection  which  he  makes  to  him  or  his  writings,  is  the 
stale  and  hackneyed  one,  that  they  are  shrouded  in  the 
mists  of  Quakerism.     When  we  contemplate  the  character 
of  that  eminent  legislator;  when  we   behold  the  remark- 
able benevolence,  conspicuous  in  every  part  of  his  political 
career ;  his  treatment  of  the  simple  aborigines,  so  widely 
different  from  that  of  most  other  settlers  of  colonies  ;  when 
we  trace  in  the  laws  suggested  by  his  wisdom,  or  enacted 
under  his  superintendence,  the  germs  of  many  important 
improvements,  which  succeeding  ages  have  matured  ;  and 
connect  with  these  the  reflection,  that  William  Penn  made 
religion   the  business  of  his   life,  and  the  great  moving 
spring  of  all  his  actions;  the  conviction  is  forced  upon  us, 
that  the  world  is  more  indebted  to  his  religion,  than  to  his 
talents,  great  as  they  certainly  were,  for  the  excellence  of 
his  institutions.     The  policy  of  his  government  grew  out 
of  his  religious  principles.     A  legislator  of  different  prin- 
ciples could  neither  have  established  nor  maintained  such 
a  government  as  his.     And  it  is  certainly  a  remarkable 
fact,  that  the  only  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  who 
ever  possessed  any  very  extensive  political  power,  was 
able  to  establish  a  government  which  has  commanded  the 
applause  of  the  world.     That  he  planted  a  colony  in  the 
midst  of  savage  tribes,  whom  he  disarmed  by  his  kindness, 
and  preserved  his  people  in  peace,  without  the  aid  of  for- 
tifications or  arms.     That  his  treaties  with  the  natives 
were  never  infringed  ;  and  that  no  evidence  appears  that 
a  drop  of  English  blood  was  ever  shed  by  an  Indian  toma- 
hawk, on  the  land  which  he  purchased  of  them.     Do  not 
these  facts  prove,  if  facts  prove  any  thing,  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  Quakerism,  so  far  from  being  of  evil   tendency, 
are  not  only  inoffensive  in  private  life,  but  highly  con- 
ducive to  national  prosperity  ?  It  is  not  easy  to  conjecture 


22  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

from  what  article  of  their  creed  the  reviewer  or  his  author 
drew  the  conclusion,  that  it  was  from  "  the  original  great- 
ness of  his  mind,  and  the  general  benevolence  of  his  feelings, 
rather  than  from  any  result  of  appropriate  evangelical  in- 
fluence," that  William  Penn,  was  enabled  to  maintain  such 
strict  integrity  in  every  part  of  his  conduct ;  and  to  evince, 
amidst  the  trials  of  life,  so  great  a  degree  of  resignation  to 
the  divine  will,  and  of  trust  in  the  government  of  God. 
The  insinuation  looks  more  like  a  desperate  effort  to  attri- 
bute the  acknowledged  excellencies  of  the  man  to  any 
cause  but  his  religious  principles,  than  a  candid  exhibition 
of  character,  or  the  deduction  of  a  rational  philosophy. 

The  reviewer,  it  appears,  has  lately  become  acquainted 
with  the  character  of  John  Woolman,  and  admits  that  his 
"  piety  deserves  to  be  known  and  imitated  by  all  denomi- 
nations." "  His  journal,  and  other  writings,"  says  he, 
"have  been  published;  and  though  they  certainly  savour 
of  the  strange  enthusiasm  of  the  sect,  and  show  that  his 
mind  was  in  bondage  to  some  of  their  less  exceptionable 
peculiarities,  yet  they  exhibit  in  a  high  degree  some  of  the 
loveliest  features  of  Christian  character;  and  we  do  not 
believe  that  any  impartial  reader  of  them,  can  resist  the 
conviction,  that  they  were  dictated  by  a  heart  which  con- 
sented fully  to  the  leading  peculiarities  of  the  Gospel,  and 
was  used  to  intimate  communion  with  the  Saviour.  In- 
stances of  this  kind  show,  that  Quakerism  does  not,  in  all 
cases  at  least,  neutralize  the  genuine  influence  of  the  Gos- 
pel; though  we  are  to  make  a  distinction  between  the 
legitimate  influence  of  a  system,  and  accidental  results 
from  other  influences  which  do  not  appropriately  belong 
to  it." 

Hence  it  appears,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  reviewer, 
the  piety  of  John  Woolman  was  genuine.  His  errors 
would  therefore  appear  to  be  those  of  the  understanding 
and  not  of  the  heart.   Quakerism,  in  this  case  at  least,  did 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  23 

not  neutralize  the  genuine  influence  of  the  gospel.  The 
peculiarities  to  which  he  was  in  bondage,  were  not  highly 
exceptionable.  We  are  therefore  to  infer  that  he  rejected 
all  those  peculiarities  to  which  any  important  objections 
can  be  made.  As  the  reviewer  has  not  informed  us  in 
what  particulars  John  Woolman  differed  from  others  of  the 
society,  we  must  look  into  his  history,  or  his  works,  and 
make  the  discovery  for  ourselves.  Such  an  examination 
will  probably  lead  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  conduct  and 
opinions  of  John  Woolman  are  obnoxious  to  every  charge 
which  the  reviewer  has  advanced  against  the  society ; 
those  only  excepted  which  rest  upon  palpable  error  or 
sheer  misrepresentation. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  attentively  the  works  of  John 
Woolman,  without  being  convinced  that  he  fully  believed 
in  the  doctrine  o( the  inward  light,  and  that  this  belief  was 
not  with  him  a  mere  speculative  theory,  but  a  practical 
principle ;  the  guide  of  his  life,  the  regulator  of  his  con- 
duct, and  the  moving  cause  of  every  religious  engagement. 
And  that,  even  in  his  worldly  employments,  he  was  careful 
to  keep  a  steady  eye  to  the  leadings  and  restrictions  of 
this  divine  principle.  This  doctrine  is  therefore  not  highly 
exceptionable. 

Upon  another  peculiarity,  the  opinions  of  John  Wool- 
man  were  not  less  clear  and  decided  than  those  of  Friends 
in  the  present  day :  I  allude  to  their  testimony  in  favour 
of  a  free  gospel  ministry.  There  is  not  the  smallest  inti- 
mation of  his  having  ever  received  or  paid  a  pecuniary 
compensation  for  preaching.  On  that  subject  he  appears 
to  have  been  remarkably  sensitive ;  as  must  be  evident  to 
any  one  who  reads,  with  attention,  his  own  account  of 
his  visit  to  the  south  in  1757.  He  evidently  construed 
the  text  strictly  :  "  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 
It  would  therefore  appear  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  re- 
viewer, this  peculiarity  is  not  highly  objectionable. 


24  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

In  regard  to  plainness  of  dress,  it  is  well  known,  that 
he  was  remarkable,  even  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  No 
member  of  that  society  has  ever  been  more  strictly  plain 
than  he  was;  his  language  was  also  in  consonance  with 
that  of  his  brethren  in  religious  profession.  Hence  these 
peculiarities  appear  entitled  to  the  reviewer's  toleration. 

It  is  rather  singular  that  the  reviewer,  while  endeav- 
ouring to  expose  the  doctrines  of  Friends,  and  exhibit  the 
evil  tendency  of  the  system,  should  pass  such  an  eulogium 
on  the  piety  of  one,  who  was,  probably,  as  complete  a 
specimen  of  genuine  Quakerism  as  the  eighteenth  century 
could  produce.  To  suppose  that  the  character  of  John 
Woolman  was  formed  by  accidental  influences  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  general  tendency  of  the  religious  system  which 
he  embraced,  is  to  suppose  that  all  the  great  principles 
of  his  life  were  overborne  and  counteracted  by  some  un- 
known and  accidental  influences. 

The  reviewer,  it  appears,  has  but  lately  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  life  and  character  of  John  Woolman, 
and  perhaps  if,  instead  of  accepting  Dr.  Cox's  caricature 
for  a  portrait,  he  had  taken  the  pains  tobecome  acquainted 
with  the  lives  of  a  few  more  of  the  most  consistent  mem- 
bers (and  from  such  specimens  the  tendency  of  the  system 
ought  to  be  tried),  he  might  have  discovered,  that  what  he 
considers  as  exceptions,  actually  constitute  the  rule; 
and  that  the  principles  of  Quakerism  do  not,  in  any  in- 
stance, neutralize  the  influence  of  the  Gospel.  In  the  case 
of  John  Woolman,  as  well  as  that  of  William  Penn,  we  are 
presented  with  an  awkward  attempt  to  elude  the  force  of 
admitted  and  undeniable  facts,  and  to  arrive  at  a  conclu- 
sion which  the  inductive  philosophy  does  not  warrant.* 


*  It  is  one  of  Dr.  Cox's  charges  against  Robert  Barclay, 
that,  in  his  Apology,  he  no  where  quotes  the  philosophy  of  Ba- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  25 

The  reviewer  advances  the  opinion  that  "  Quakerism  is 
adapted  to  cramp  the  faculties  and  retard  intellectual 
improvement."  "  This,"  says  he,  '*  we  might  infer  from 
the  general  fact,  that  it  is  at  best  an  adulterated  kind  of 
Christianity ;  and  as  Christianity  in  its  genuine  form  is 
adapted,  in  various  ways,  to  invigorate  and  exalt  the  in- 
tellectual powers,  so  just  in  proportion  as  it  assumes  a 
spurious  character  it  loses  its  quickening  power  over  the 
human  intellect." 

Previous  to  inquiring  into  the  philosophy  of  this  passage, 
let  us  consider  what  must  be  the  result  of  the  theory,  sup- 
posing it  correct.  If  Quakerism  tends  to  cramp  the  intel- 
lect, ought  we  not  to  find  an  undue  proportion  of  the 
members,  particularly  the  more  strict  and  consistent  ones 
engaged  in  the  lowest  employments  ?  Should  we  not  meet 
with  them  in  great  numbers,  in  our  cities,  occupied  as 
scavengers,  hostlers,  oystermen,  wood-sawyers,  &c. ;  and 
in  the  country  as  day-labourers  and  servants  in  the  fami- 
lies of  other  professors  ?  The  case,  however,  turns  out  to 
be,  that  Friends  are  obliged  to  depend  very  much  upon 
other  persons  for  the  performance  of  these  menial  services, 
from  the  impossibility  of  procuring  any  of  their  own  pro- 
fession to  perform  them.  The  well  known  fact  that  very 
few  of  them  are  found  in  those  situations  which  are  usu- 
ally occupied  by  the  lowest  order  of  intellect,  is  of  itself 
sufficient  to  prove  the  unsoundness  of  the  theory  before 
us. 

To  return  to  his  argument ;  I  should  not  dispute  his 


con.  If  he  does  not  quote  it,  be  certainly  maintains  the  spirit 
of  it  much  better  than  the  author  before  us.  Bacon's  plan  ia 
to  draw  our  conclusions,  by  well  connected  reasoning,  from 
facts  or  principles  clearly  established,  and  not  from  vague  hy- 
potheses or  gratuitous  assumptions. 

4 


2S  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

inference  if  he  had  fairly  established  his  premises.  But 
when  or  where  was  it  proved  that  Quakerism  is  an  adul- 
terated kind  of  Christianity  ?  From  what  immediately  fol- 
lows, it  is  obvious  that  one  of  the  most  offensive  adultera- 
tions, and  that  one  which  probably  comes  nearest  the  re- 
viewer's heart,  rela  es  to  the  ministry  which  Friends  admit 
and  approve.  It  is  undoubtedly  an  important  question, 
worthy  of  the  serious  consideration  both  of  those  who  sup- 
port and  of  those  who  condemn  it,  whether  the  ministry 
advocated  by  Friends  is,  or  is  not,  consistent  with  genuine 
Christianity.  If  we  are  to  judge  of  this  ministry  by  its 
effects,  and  of  its  effects  by  the  general  character  of  the 
members,  the  facts  expressly  admitted  by  the  reviewer 
himself,  must  produce  a  verdict  in  its  favour.  If 
we  are  to  examine  the  question  as  a  theoretical  one, 
we  must  take  the  theory  which  Friends  have  espous- 
ed, and  compare  it  with  the  first  and  purest  age  of 
Christianity. 

"  The  ministry  and  ministers  we  plead  for,  are  such  as 
are  immediately  called  and  sent  forth  by  Christ  and  his 
spirit  unto  the  work  of  the  ministry ;  so  were  the  holy 
apostles  and  prophets,  as  appears  by  these  places.  Matt. 
X.  1.  5.     Eph.  iv.  II.     Heb.  v.  4. 

"  The  ministers  we  plead  for,  are  such  as  are  actuated 
and  led  by  God's  spirit,  and  by  the  power  and  operation 
of  his  grace  in  their  hearts,  are  in  some  measure  converted 
rnd  regenerate,  and  so  are  good,  holy  and  gracious  men; 
such  were  the  holy  prophets  and  apostles,  as  appears 
from  1  Tim.  iii,  2, 3,  4,  5, 6.     Tit.  i.  7, 8, 9. 

"  The  ministers  we  plead  for,  are  such  as  act,  move  and 
labour  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  not  from  their  own 
mere  natural  strength  and  ability,  but  as  they  are  actuated, 
moved,  supported,  assisted  and  influenced  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  minister  according  to  the  gift  received,  as  good 
stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God :  such  were  the  ho- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  37 

ly  prophets  and  apostles.  1  Pet.  iv.  10,  11.  1  Cor.  i.  17. 
ii.  3,  4,  5.  13.  Acts,  ii.  4.  Matt.  x.  20.  Mark,  xiii.  11, 
Luke  xii.  12.     1  Cor.  xiii.  2. 

"  The  ministers  we  plead  for, are  such  as,  being  holy  and 
humble,  contend  not  for  precedency  and  priority,  but 
rather  strive  to  prefer  one  another,  and  serve  one  another 
in  love ;  neither  desire  to  be  distinguished  from  the  rest 
by  their  garments  and  large  phylacteries,  nor  seek  greet- 
ings in  the  market-places,  nor  uppermost  places  at  feasts, 
nor  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues ;  nor  yet  to  be  called 
of  men,  master,  <kc.  Such  were  the  holy  prophets  and 
apostles,  as  appears  from  Matt,  xxiii.  8,  9,  10,  and  xx.  25, 
26,27. 

"  The  ministers  we  plead  for,  are  such  as  having  freely 
received,  freely  give ;  who  covet  no  man's  silver,  gold  or 
garments ;  who  seek  no  man's  goods,  but  seek  them,  and 
the  salvation  of  their  souls;  whose  hands  supply  their 
own  necessities,  working  honestly  for  bread  to  them- 
selves and  their  families.  And  if  at  any  time  they  be 
called  of  God,  so  as  the  work  of  the  Lord  hinder  them  from 
the  use  of  their  trades,  take  what  is  freely  given  them  by 
such  to  whom  they  have  communicated  spirituals ;  and 
having  food  and  raiment  are  therewith  content :  such 
were  the  holy  prophets  and  apostles,  as  appears  from 
Matt.  x.  8.  Acts  XX.  33,  34,  35.     1  Tim.  vi.  8. 

"  And  in  a  word,  we  are  for  a  holy,  spiritual,  pure  and 
living  ministry,  where  the  ministers  are  both  called,  qual- 
ified and  ordered,  actuated  and  influenced  in  all  the  steps 
of  their  ministry  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  which  being  want- 
ing we  judge  they  cease  to  be  the  ministers  of  Christ."* 

But  the  ministers  whom  the  reviewer  approves,  are 
those  who  are  "  trained  for  the  purpose,"  and  thoroughly 


Barclay's  Apology,  p.  340,  &c. 


28  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

educated  in  the  art  and  trade  of  preaching.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  such  teachers  may  be  able  ministers  of  the 
letter,  well  qualified  to  instruct  their  hearers  in  the  doc- 
trines and  commandments  of  men.  But  are  men  thus  pre- 
pared and  qualified,  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  unless  they 
are  also  called  and  qualified  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  "  The 
Gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believeth."  Whence  it  follows,  that  to  be  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  receive  a  dis- 
pensation of  the  Gospel,  and  this  cannot  possibly  be  given 
by  man,  but  must  come  from  God.  The  apostles,  who 
accompanied  the  Saviour  during  his  ministry  on  earth, 
who  saw  his  miracles,  who  heard  immediately  from  his 
lips  the  gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth 
— who  could,  no  doubt,  repeat  from  memory  many  of 
his  sayings — who  were  witnesses  of  his  resurrection — and 
who  ate  and  drank  with  him  after  his  passion — these  must 
have  been  qualified,  if  any  men  ever  were,  to  preach  the 
Gospel  without  superiour  assistance.  Yet  they  were  com- 
manded to  tarry  at  Jerusalem,  till  they  were  endued  with 
power  from  on  high.  When  they  were  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  not  till  then,  they  began  their  ministry. 

This  was  the  promise  of  the  Father,  a  teacher  to  abide 
with  them  forever,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  which  should 
be  in  them  and  teach  them  what  they  should  say.  And 
we  find  that  their  preaching  is  always  attributed  to  the 
operations  of  the  same  spirit.  The  apostle  Peter,  on  the 
memorable  day  of  pentecost,  declared  the  prophecy  of  Joel 
then  fulfilled  :  "  Behold  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last 
days  (saith  God)  that  I  will  pour  out  of  my  spirit  on  all 
fesh  ;  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy; 
your  young  men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall 
dream  dreams."  This,  we  observe,  was  to  be  in  the  last 
days,  or  under  the  last  dispensation  of  God  to  man,  and 
the  prophesying  was   to  be   under  the  influence  of  the 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  29 

Spirit  thus  to  be  poured  upon  all  flesh.  But  the  reviewer 
informs  us,  that  "  inspiration  has  long  since  passed  away  ;" 
and  of  course  his  apprehension  of  a  pure  Gospel  ministry 
must  exclude  an  indispensable  qualification,  the  present 
eftusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  for  what  is  divine  inspiration 
but  the  immediate  teaching  of  the  spirit  of  Christ  ?  It 
therefore  appears,  that  what  the  reviewer  dignifies  with 
the  name  of  Gospel  ministry,  is  not  properly  "  an  adulte- 
rated kind  of  Christianity,"  but  a  dereliction  of  the  original 
principles  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  substitution  of  the  natural 
and  acquired  abilities  of  man.  We  hence  readily  discover 
that  his  opposition  to  the  ministry  of  Friends,  is  very  much 
like  that  of  Diana's  craftsmen  to  the  ministry  of  the  apostles. 

The  account  which  the  reviewer  has  given  of  the  min- 
istry of  Friends,  seems  not  very  diflferent  from  that  which 
the  apostle  gives  of  his  own  :  "  My  speech  and  my  preach- 
ing was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom ;" 
whether  the  closing  part  of  his  description  is  applicable  or 
not,  "  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power," 
he  sufficiently  proves  himself  incompetent  to  decide.  For 
how  can  one  who  believes  that  inspiration  has  totally 
ceased,  determine  whether  a  religious  communication  pro-/ 
ceeds  from  a  divine  source  or  not  ? 

The  assertion  so  confidently  made,  that  "  their  preaching 
generally  consists  of  diftw  common-place  remarks  on  some 
mystical  subject,  or  at  best  some  topic  of  morality,"  proves, 
if  it  proves  any  thing,  that  the  writer  is  very  little  ac- 
quainted with  the  subject  before  him.  He  probably  has 
seldom,  if  ever,  attended  the  meetings  of  Friends,  and  there- 
fore cannot  possibly  know  what  kind  of  preaching  they 
generally  have.  Had  he  been  accustomed  to  hearing  their 
preaching,  he  must  have  known  that  when  a  feio  remarks 
only  are  made,  they  are  mostly  couched  in  Scripture  lan- 
guage. The  reproach  of  being  tame  and  common-place, 
must  therefore  fall  on  the  Scriptures.     A  gross  and  offen- 


30  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

sive  imputation.  That  topics  of  mere  morality  constitute 
the  sermons  of  our  ministers,  is  so  far  from  being  true,  that 
sound  morality  is  always  held  up  as  the  i^esult  not  the 
essence  of  the  religion  to  which  the  audience  are  directed. 
He  would  probably  have  treated  the  subject  of  silent 
meetings  with  less  contempt,  if  he  had  duly  attended  to 
those  Scripture  passages,  in  which  silence  is  so  solemnly 
and  emphatically  enjoined.  "  Keep  silence  before  me,  O 
islands,  and  let  the  people  renew  their  strength — let  them 
come  near,  then  let  them  speak,"  Isa.  xli.  1.  "Be  silent, O 
all  flesh,  before  the  Lord,"  Zee.  ii.  13.  "  The  Lord  is  in  his 
holy  temple,  let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before  him," 
Hab.  ii.  20. 

The  reviewer  proceeds  to  assert,  that  "  it  is  a  striking 
attribute  of  Quakerism,  that  it  discourages  free  and  inde- 
pendent thought."  "  The  children  of  the  sect  are  strongly 
impressed  with  its  peculiar  dogmas  as  early,  perhaps 
earlier  than  they  can  possibly  understand  them ;  and  to 
call  in  question  these  dogmas,  they  are  taught  to  consider 
a  wilful  sin  against  the  inward  light — a  most  gross  and 
capital  heresy."  "  In  consequence  of  the  restraint  to  which 
they  are  subjected  in  the  formation  of  their  earliest  opin- 
ions, it  comes  to  pass  that  these  opinions  afterwards,  in- 
stead of  being  moulded  by  their  own  enlightened  reflection, 
and  subjected  to  the  test  of  Scripture  and  common  sense, 
are  little  else  than  mere  prejudices ;  and  instead  of  form- 
ing a  habit  of  independent  thought,  and  impartial  judg- 
ment, there  is  every  probability  that  they  will,  to  a  great 
extent,  surrender  the  right  of  thinking  for  themselves,  and 
tamely  confide  in  the  dictation  of  the  oracles  of  the  sect." 

He  appears,  in  this  case,  to  have  made  a  mistake  nearly 
similar  to  one  committed  by  an  eminent  advocate  in  one  of 
our  southern  courts,  who  forgot  on  which  side  he  was 
retained,  and  commenced  his  argument  in  opposition  to 
his  client.  One  or  two  of  his  expressions,  it  is  true,  serve  to 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  31 

show  that  he  had  not  altogether  forgot  the  side  on  which 
he  was  engaged ;  but  he  must  have  drawn  his  portrait 
from  a  society  with  which  he  was  much  better  acquainted 
than  with  the  Society  of  Friends.  The  features  of  the 
original  are  indeed  tolerably  well  preserved  in  the  picture. 
It  is  the  labelling  that  is  wz-ong. 

It  is  generally  admitted,  and  probably  never  denied  in 
this  country,  that  a  republican  government  is  much  more 
favourable  to  the  development  of  intellect,  than  a  mon- 
archy or  aristocracy.  What  a  republic  is,  compared  with 
an  aristocracy,  in  political  life,  such  are  the  religious  insti- 
tutions of  Friends,  compared  with  those  which  the  reviewer 
attempts  to  support.  The  exercise  of  the  ministry  with 
us  is  not  confined  to  a  particular  order  of  men  trained  for 
the  purpose,  but  left  open  to  all,  of  either  sex,  who  may  be 
divinely  called  and  qualified  for  the  service.  Every  station 
in  the  church  is  open  to  any  one  who  has  received,  and 
properly  improved,  the  talents  which  the  station  requires. 
The  general  discipline  of  the  society  is  settled,  and  its 
execution  conducted,  in  meetings  which  all  our  members 
may  attend.  In  the  deliberations  of  those  assemblies,  the 
young  as  well  as  the  old  are  allowed  to  participate.  It  is 
remarkable  that  Thomas  Clarkson,  well  known  for  his 
labours  in  behalf  of  the  African  race,  and  who  is  probably 
better  acquainted  with  the  Society  of  Friends  than  any 
other  man  who  never  belonged  to  it,  represents  indepen- 
dence of  mind,  as  one  of  the  striking  characteristics  of  its 
members ;  and  that  he  deduces  this  trait  from  the  nature 
of  their  religious  institutions.*  The  general  reception  of 
dogmas  relative  to  faith  and  practice,  without  examination 
or  comparison  with  Scripture  testimony,  is  scarcely  com- 
patible with  the  admission  of  that  portion  of  our  belief 


Portraiture  of  Quakerism,  vol.  iii.  page  181,  &c. 


32  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

which  the  reviewer  so  frequently  makes  the  subject  of 
taunting  remark,  viz.  the  doctrine  of  an  inward  light. 
For  how  is  it  possible  to  believe  that  a  measure  of  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal ; 
that  by  taking  heed  to  the  manifestations  of  this  spirit  we 
are  to  understand  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  or  to  know, 
with  satisfactory  clearness,  our  individual  duties;  and  yet 
to  rest  our  faith  on  a  set  of  unexamined  dogmas,  depending 
entirely  on  the  opinions  of  men  as  fallible  as  ourselves  1 
Those  very  peculiarities,  which  the  reviewer  appears  to 
consider  as  indications  of  an  implicit  surrender  of  the  judg- 
ment to  the  "  dogmas  of  the  sect,"  can  hardly  fail  to  lead 
to  examination  and  sober  reflection.  The  young  man  who 
finds  himself  surrounded  by  people  of  highly  respectable 
character,  who  freely  indulge  in  numerous  practices,  which 
his  education  has  taught  him  to  deny,  is  forcibly  impelled, 
either  to  reject  the  peculiarities  of  his  profession  without 
examination,  or  to  inquire,  deeply  and  seriously,  why  the 
society  to  which  he  belongs,  should  be  thus  distinguished 
from  most  other  professors  of  the  Christian  name.  And 
we  may  be  assured  that  few,  in  the  early  walks  of  life, 
will  so  far  disregard  the  influence  of  general  example,  as 
to  conform  very  closely  to  the  peculiarities  of  their  educa- 
tion, unless  they  find  something  more  than  mere  prescrip- 
tion to  bind  them  to  the  observance. 

The  system  of  Quakerism,  both  in  its  doctrine  and  dis- 
cipline, is  more  completely  calculated  to  excite  examina- 
tion and  independent  thought,  than  any  other  with  which 
I  am  acquamted.  As  to  submitting  our  opinions  to  the 
test  of  Scripture  and  common  sense,  it  will  be  time  enough 
to  charge  us  with  deficiency,  when  we  are  proved  to  hold 
some  peculiar  tenet  which  the  Scriptures,  and  a  sound 
rationality,  do  not  support.  Of  the  conformity  of  our 
doctrines  to  Scripture  testimony,  more  will  appear  in  the 
sequel. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  33 

He  proceeds  to  state,  that  "  Quakerism  is  unfriendly  to 
intellectual  culture,  inasmuch  as  it  it  keeps  the  mind  con- 
versant with  trifling  things,  and  magnifies  their  import- 
ance by  elevating  them  into  the  fundamental  peculiarities 
of  the  sect."  Here,  as  before,  he  is  pleading  on  the  wrong 
side.  For  it  appears  by  his  specifications,  that  this  gen- 
eral charge  is  founded  on  the  practice  of  Friends  using  a 
plain  dress,  speaking  in  correct  Scripture  language,  and 
calling  each  other  by  their  proper  names.  In  other 
words,  we  are  judged  to  be  employed  in  trifling  things, 
because  we  do  not  think  proper  to  vary  the  cut  and 
colour  of  our  clothing,  to  suit  the  fre&,ks  and  fancies  of  an 
ever-varying  world.  Whether  we  regard  the  dignity  of 
the  philosopher,  or  the  humility  of  the  Christian,  we  shall 
arrive  at  the  conclusion,  that  plain  apparel,  adapted  to 
the  real  purposes  of  dress,  not  calculated  to  foster  pride,  is 
most  consistent  with  genuine  wisdom.  But  how  a  writer, 
who  professes  to  set  so  high  a  value  upon  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, can  reprove  us  for  putting  in  practice  what  they  so 
frequently  advise,  is  not  easily  conceived.  Does  he  mean 
to  tell  us,  that  the  prophets  and  apostles,  and  even  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  wished  to  engage  the  believers  in  trifling 
things  ?  "  Why  take  ye  thought  (or  why  are  ye  anxious) 
for  raiment  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they 
grow,  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin,  and  yet  I  say  unto 
you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed 
like  one  of  these."  Matt.  vi.  28, 29.  "  I  will  that  women 
adorn  themselves  in  modest  apparel,  with  shamefacedness 
and  sobriety  ;  not  with  broidered  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or 
costly  array.  But,  which  becometh  women  professing  god- 
liness, with  good  works."  1  Tim.  ii.  9.  "  Whose  adorning, 
let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and 
of  wearing  of  gold,  and  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let 
it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that  which  is  incor- 
ruptible, even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit, 

5 


34  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

which  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  great  price."  1  Pet.  iii. 
3, 4.  See  also,  Isaiah,  iii.  16 — 20,  for  a  severe  rebuke  of 
superfluity  in  dress.  Now,  the  object  which  the  Society 
of  Friends  have  in  view,  is,  to  maintain  that  sobriety  of 
dress  which  the  apostles  commend ;  and  to  avoid  those 
excesses  which  are  so  solemnly  reproved.  If  the  observ- 
ance of  this  practice  is  a  peculiai'ity,  it  is  not  our  fault. 
The  apostle  did  not  make  it  a  condition,  that  the  Christian 
women  must  not  be  peculiar.  They  were  to  do  what  was 
proper,  whether  others  followed  the  example  or  not. 

Again,  are  we  triflers  because  we  observe  the  aposto- 
lic injunction,  "  to  hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words  ;"  and 
avoid  a  corruption  which  originated  in  the  gross  and  ful- 
some adulation  paid  to  the  Roman  emperors  during  the 
decline  of  that  empire?  Were  Luther  and  Erasmus 
triflers,  because  they  expressed  their  dislike  of  the  con- 
fusion of  numbers  which  this  servile  flattery  first  intro- 
duced ?  If  the  use  of  Scripture  language  to  each  other  is 
trifling,  why  do  we  all  use  it  in  our  addresses  to  the 
Almighty  ?  Would  the  reviewer  tolerate  the  substitution 
of  you,  for  thou  and  thee,  in  the  prayers  of  Christians? 
Let  the  advocates  of  the  Bible  cease  to  be  inconsistent 
with  themselves,  and  the  language  of  Friends  will  cease  to 
be  K  peculiarity. 

The  reviewer  seems  to  consider  the  use  of  a  plain  dress, 
the  language  of  Scripture,  and  of  our  proper  names,  as 
matters  of  indifference ;  and  yet  as  tending  to  degrade  the 
intellect  of  those  who  adhere  to  them.  What  elevation 
the  understanding  obtains  by  using  Mr.  (a  corruption  of 
master)  instead  of  the  proper  name,  is  difficult  to  discover. 
But  certainly  he  showed  little  respect  to  the  precepts  of 
the  Saviour,  when  he  wrote  the  passage  before  us.  "  Be 
not  ye  called  Rabbi  (master)  for  one  is  your  master  even 
Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  The  term  Rabbi,  appears 
to  have  been  the  Mr.  of  the  apostolic  age,  which  the  dis- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  35 

ciples  were  not  to  receive,  and  consequently  could  not 
lawfully  give  to  each  other.  If  the  term  master,  whether 
distinctly  articulated,  or  minced  into  mister,  is  not  strictly 
true  when  applied  to  those  who  possess  no  authority  over 
us,  it  seecns  to  be  the  business  of  others,  rather  than  of 
Friends,  to  examine  why  the  use  of  the  proper  name  should 
be  a  peculiarity. 

The  reviewer  proceeds, "  it  is  perfectly  well  known,  that 
as  a  sect  they  [the  Society  of  Friends]  have  set  themselves 
strongly  against  human  learning ;  and  hence  up  to  a  very 
recent  period,  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  find  a  well-educated 
man  among  them."  A  person  unconnected  with  the 
society,  may  well  be  excused  for  knowing  little  respecting 
their  efforts  to  promote  the  education  of  their  youth  ;  but 
it  is  not  easy  to  frame  a  solid  excuse  for  publishing  to  the 
world,  as  a  well-known  fact,  what  could  not  possibly  be 
known  at  all ;  and  what  persons  really  acquainted  with 
the  case,  must  know  to  be  untrue.  That  the  Society  of 
Friends,  as  a  society,  ever  set  themselves  against  human 
learning,  is  so  far  from  being  a  well-known  fact,  that 
probably  no  other  religious  society  has  used  such  exertions 
as  they  have  done,  to  promote  a  general  diffusion  of  useful 
learning  among  their  members. 

As  early  as  the  year  1667,  George  Fox  recommended 
the  establishment  of  schools  for  the  education  of  boys  and 
girls,  "  in  whatsoever  things  were  useful  and  civil,"  a  form 
of  expression  which  bespeaks  an  enlargement  of  mind  far 
beyond  the  mere  elementary  branches  of  education.  Two 
schools  were  accordingly  established,  one  at  Waltham  and 
the  other  at  Shacklewell,  and  since  that  time  not  less  than 
ten  boarding  schools  have  been  founded  by  direction  and 
under  the  patronage  of  the  society  in  England  and 
Ireland. 

In  the  discipline  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  London,  we 
find  the  following  article,  dated  as  early  as  1695 ; 


36  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

"  Advised  ;  that  school  masters  and  mistresses,  who  are 
faithful  Friends  and  well  qualified,  be  encouraged  in  all 
counties,  cities,  great  towns,  or  other  places  where  there 
may  be  need ;  and  that  care  be  taken  that  poor  Friends' 
children  may  freely  partake  of  such  education  as  may  tend 
to  their  benefit  and  advantage,  in  order  to  apprenticeship." 

In  our  own  country,  the  education  of  youth  claimed  the 
early  attention  of  Friends.  A  charter  was  granted  by 
William  Penn,  soon  after  the  settlement  of  Philadelphia, 
to  aboard  of  overseers  of  public  schools,  one  condition  of 
which  is,  that  they  are  to  maintain  a  grammar  school  for 
the  Latin  and  Greek  languages.*  A  large  amount  of  pro- 
perty is  entrusted  to  this  board,  and  a  number  of  respec- 
table seminaries  are  conducted  under  their  care.  A 
mathematical  department,  with  a  valuable  philosophical 
apparatus,  has  been  for  many  years  included  in  the  estab- 
lishment. And  although  the  trustees  are  all  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  they  do  not  limit  their  instruction 
to  the  children  belonging  to  their  own  community. 

The  greatest  efforts,  however,  of  the  society  have  al- 
ways been,  not  to  raise  a  few  of  their  youth  to  distinguished 


*This  school  appears  to  have  been  commenced  in  1689; 
and  a  charter  was  obtained  in  1697.  This  was  afterwards 
renewed  with  revisions;  the  last  being  granted  in  1711.  The 
preamble  shows  that  William  Penn  was  no  enemy  to  human 
learning.  "  Whereas,  the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  any  people 
depend,  in  great  measure,  upon  the  good  education  of  youth, 
and  their  early  introduction  into  the  principles  of  true  religion 
and  virtue,  and  qualifying  them  to  serve  their  country  and 
themselves,  by  breeding  them  in  reading,  writing  and  learning 
of  languages  and  useful  arts  and  sciences,  suitable  to  their  age, 
sex,  and  degree;  which  cannot  be  effected  in  any  manner  so 
well  as  by  erecting  public  schools  for  the  purposes  afore- 
said," &c. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  37 

eminence  in  science  or  literature,  but  to  communicate  to 
every  member  a  competent  portion  of  learning,  to  prepare 
them  for  the  useful  avocations  of  life.  In  this,  they  have, 
unquestionably,  in  great  measure,  succeeded. 

By  recurring  to  the  minutes  of  Philadelphia  Yearly 
Meeting,  for  more  than  fifty  years,  we  find  the  subject  of 
schools  one  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  deliberations  of 
that  body.  In  the  Book  of  Discipline  of  that  Yearly  Meet- 
ing we  find  the  following  : 

"  The  education  of  our  youth  in  piety  and  virtue,  and 
giving  them  useful  learning,  under  the  tuition  of  religious 
prudent  persons,  having  for  many  years  engaged  the  solid 
attention  of  this  meeting,  and  advices  thereon  having  been 
from  time  to  time  issued  to  the  several  subordinate  meet- 
ings ;  it  is  renewedly  desired,  that  quarterly,  monthly  and 
preparative  meetings,  may  be  excited  to  proper  exertions 
for  the  institution  and  support  of  schools  ;  there  being  but 
little  doubt,  that  as  Friends  are  united,  and  cherish  a  dis- 
position of  liberality  for  the  assistance  of  each  other  in  this 
important  work,  they  will  be  enabled  to  make  such  pro- 
vision for  the  accommodation  and  residence  of  a  teacher, 
with  a  family,  as  would  be  an  encouragement  to  well-qual- 
ified persons,  to  engage  in  this  arduous  employment :  for 
want  of  which,  it  has  been  observed,  that  children  have 
been  committed  to  the  care  of  transient  persons  of  doubt- 
ful character,  and  sometimes  of  very  corrupt  minds,  by 
whose  bad  example  and  influence,  they  have  been  betrayed 
into  principles  and  habits  which  have  had  an  injurious 
effect  on  them  in  more  advanced  life.  It  is  therefore  in- 
dispensably incumbent  on  us  to  guard  them  against  this 
danger,  and  procure  such  tutors  of  our  own  religious  per- 
suasion, as  are  not  only  capable  of  instructing  them  in 
useful  learning,  to  fit  them  for  the  business  of  this  life,  but 
to  train  them  in  the  knowledge  of  their  duty  to  God,  and 
one  towards  another.     It   is  therefore  proposed:    First. 


38  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

That  a  lot  of  ground  be  provided  in  each  monthly  or  pre- 
parative meeting,  sufficient  for  a  garden,  orchard,  grass 
for  a  cow,  6z;c.,  and  a  suitable  house  erected  thereon. 

"  Second.  That  funds  be  raised  by  contribution,  bequest, 
&c.  in  each  meeting;  the  interest  of  which  to  be  applied 
either  in  aid  of  the  tutor's  salary,  or  lessening  the  expense 
of  Friends  in  straitened  circumstances,  in  the  education  of 
their  children. 

"  Third.  That  acommitteebe  appointed  in  each  monthly 
or  preparative  meeting,  to  have  the  care  of  schools,  and 
the  funds  for  their  support,  and  that  no  tutor  be  employed 
but  with  their  consent." 

One  of  the  queries  addressed  to  the  monthly  meetings, 
and  to  which  an  answer  is  annually  returned  to  the 
Yearly  Meeting,  is  as  follows  : 

"  Are  there  schools  established  for  the  education  of  our 
youth,  under  the  care  of  teachers  in  membership  with  us, 
and  superintended  by  committees  appointed  either  in  the 
monthly  or  preparative  meetings  ?" 

The  care  to  provide  for  the  education  of  children,  whose 
parents  are  in  indigent  circumstances,  is  enjoined  as  a 
religious  duty.  Witness  the  following  query,  also  answered 
yearly  in  every  monthly  meeting  : 

"  Are  poor  Friend's  necessities  duly  inspected,  and  they 
relieved,  or  assisted  in  such  business  as  they  are  capable 
of?  Do  their  children  freely  partake  of  learning  to  fit  them 
for  business  ?" 

In  what  other  society  is  the  duty  of  extending  to  all  its 
members  the  benefits  of  education,  so  repeatedly  urged,  or 
so  intimately  incorporated  with  the  system  of  church  gov- 
ernment ? 

The  Yearly  Meetings  of  New  England,  New  York,  and 
Philadelphia,  have  severally  large  boarding  schools,  super- 
intended by  committees  appointed  by  those  meetings 
respectively ;  and  in  all  of  them,  provision  is  made  for 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS. 


39 


bringing  the  means  of  instruction  within  the  reach  of  the 
poor,  as  well  as  the  rich.  An  establishment  on  similar 
principles  is  contemplated  in  the  newly  formed  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Ohio. 

If  it  should  even  appear  that  the  Society  of  Friends  have 
fallen  short  of  their  just  proportion  of  members  conspicuous 
for  high  attainments  in  science  or  literature,  while  a  very 
small  number  of  them  can  be  justly  ranked  with  the  grossly 
illiterate,  we  should  no  more  infer  from  that  circumstance, 
the  general  ignorance  of  the  society,  than  we  should  their 
general  poverty  from  the  fact  of  few  instances  of  exorbi- 
tant wealth  being  found  within  its  limits.  But  when  we 
reflect,  that  in  the  United  States,  the  Society  of  Friends  do 
not  compose  one-hundredth  part  of  the  white  population ; 
and  in  England  and  Ireland,  the  relative  number  is  still 
less,  we  easily  discover  that  a  very  few  eminent  scholars 
would  be  our  full  quota  of  learned  men.  It  would  proba- 
bly be  no  easy  matter  to  furnish  a  list  of  an  hundred  Eng- 
lish physicians  of  equal  eminence,  who  were  cotemporaries 
with  Dr.  Fothergill ;  or  an  hundred  English  writers  in  the 
present  day,  superior  to  Jonathan  Dymond.  If  this 
should  be  done,  we  can  easily  furnish  a  few  more. 

The  following  paragraph  might  be  mistaken  for  the 
production  of  an  avowed  deist,  labouring  to  prostrate  the 
whole  system  of  Christianity.  "Let  the  system  be  even 
what  the  most  orthodox  Quakers  would  claim,  it  has  still 
we  believe  the  doctrine  of  the  inward  light ;  and  so  long 
as  this  remains,  we  cannot  conceive  how  they  can  avoid 
being  enthusiasts.  For  let  this  light  be  what  it  may, 
whether  reason,  or  conscience,  or  the  Holy  SpiHt,  or  some- 
thing else,  it  is  evident  that  it  has  an  office  assigned  to  it 
which  makes  it  paramount  to  God's  word ;  and  whatever 
a  Quaker  utters  in  the  way  of  preaching,  is  from  the 
promptings  of  this  inward  principle.  We  need  not  here 
attempt  any  proof  of  the  position  that  the  days  of  inspira- 


40  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

tion,  have  long  since  gone  by  ;  but  every  Quaker  preacher, 
at  least,  claims  to  be  inspired ;  and  those  who  are  not 
preachers  believe  that  he  is  so.  What  then,  if  we  confine 
our  views  to  the  simple  matter  of  preaching,  must  be  the 
result  ?  Why  nothing  less,  on  the  part  of  the  preacher, 
than  that  any  vain  and  ridiculous  fancy  that  happens  to 
occur  to  him,  he  is  liable  to  give  off  with  oracular  autho- 
rity :  and  nothing  less  on  the  part  of  the  hearers,  than  that 
they  are  liable  to  be  misled  and  deceived,  by  putting  down 
what  are  literally  old  wives'  fables,  as  the  genuine  sug- 
gestions of  divine  inspiration.  This  principle — and  for 
aught  we  can  see,  it  is  the  fundamental  principle  of  the 
system — being  once  admitted,  we  need  not  be  surprised  at 
any  degree  of  fanaticism  that  may  be  the  result.  The 
most  childish  whims,  as  well  as  the  most  destructive  errors, 
are  thereby  handed  out,  under  the  sanction  of  God's  autho- 
rity ;  and  with  those  who  implicitly  believe  in  the  unerring 
guidance  of  the  inward  light,  what  hinders  that  they  should 
become,  even  without  examination,  the  governing  princi- 
ples of  the  conduct  ?" 

If  we  are  not  shocked  with  the  impiety  of  this  passage, 
we  may  feel  disposed  to  smile  at  its  absurdity.  If  we  are 
not  to  be  guided  by  "  reason,  or  conscience,  or  the  Holy 
Spirit,  or  by  something  else,"  upon  what  foundation  are 
we  to  build  our  faith ;  or  by  what  rule  to  regulate  our 
practice.  The  answer  to  this  inquiry  may  perhaps  be 
found  implicitly,  if  not  explicitly,  contained  in  a  preceding 
part  of  the  review.  Attend  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
by  a  set  of  men  trained  for  the  purpose,  being  careful  not  to 
forget  that  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  price,  and  that 
those  only  who  have  received  the  Gospel  freely,  are  bound 
to  give  it  freely.  We  however,  are  not  satisfied  with  such 
an  answer,  inasmuch  as  it  appears  evident,  from  Scripture 
testimony,  that  there  can  be  no  true  Gospel  ministry,  un- 
less the  call  and  qualification  proceed  from  the  Spirit  of 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  41 

our  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  that  the  dispensation  under 
which  the  apostles  were  required  to  wait  till  they  were 
endued  with  power  from  on  high,  before  they  attempted 
to  promulgate  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel,  has  never 
been  changed.  The  inference  is  therefore  clear  and  con- 
clusive, that  the  nature  of  the  qualification  must  be  the 
same  now  as  it  was  then.  This  being  admitted,  it  follows 
that  we  must  give  up  the  plan  oi  training  young  men  for 
the  ministry,  or  lay  claim  to  a  degree  of  inspiration  which 
Friends  have  never  professed.  Unless  parents  and  guar- 
dians ca.n  foresee  that  their  children  or  wards  will,  or  will 
not,  upon  attaining  maturity,  have  a  dispensation  of  the 
Gospel  committed  to  them,  it  is  impossible  to  know  which 
of  them  to  train  for  the  ministry,  and  which  for  other  avo- 
cations. His  theory  is  therefore  inconsistent  with  itself,  as 
he  denies  divine  inspiration  and  yet  attempts  to  erect  a 
system,  which  will  not  stand  without  it. 

Though  the  reviewer  has  taken  occasion  in  other  pas- 
sages as  well  as  in  this,  to  speak  quite  contemptuously  of 
the  doctrine  of  an  inward  light,  he  seems  very  much  at  a 
loss  to  conceive  what  it  is.  This  may  therefore  be  a  pro- 
per place  to  explain  what  we  mean  by  it. 

It  is  not  reason,  for  reason  is  only  the  power  of  compar- 
ing ideas,  and  deducing  conclusions  from  principles  which 
are  known  or  assumed. 

It  is  not  conscience,  for  conscience  is  not  a  principle  but 
a  result,  the  consequence  of  our  belief,  or  of  the  judgment  to 
which  we  have  arrived,  whether  correctly  or  not,  in  rela- 
tion to  our  moral  or  religious  duty.  Thus  the  apostle 
speaks  of  some  whose  conscience  was  defiled.  Tit.  v.  15. 
"  Conscience"  says  Barclay,  "  comes  from  conscire,  and  is 
that  knowledge  which  ariseth  in  man's  heart  from  what 
agreeth,  contradicteth  or  is  contrary  to  any  thing  believed 
by  him,  whereby  he  becomes  conscious  to  himself  that  he 
transgresseth   by  doing  that  which  he  is  persuaded  he 

6 


42  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

oucrht  not  to  do.  So  that  the  mind  being  once  blinded  or 
defiled  with  a  wrong  belief,  there  ariseth  a  conscience  from 
that  belief  which  troubles  him  if  he  goes  against  it.  Thus 
if  a  papist  eat  flesh  in  lent,  or  be  not  diligent  enough  in  the 
adoration  of  images,  or  if  he  should  contemn  images,  his 
conscience  would  smite  him  for  it,  because  his  judgment 
is  already  blinded  with  a  false  belief  concerning  these 
things ;  whereas  the  light  of  Christ  never  consented  to  any 
of  these  abominations.  Thus  then  man's  natural  con- 
science is  sufficiently  distinguished  from  it ;  for  conscience 
followeth  the  judgment,  doth  not  inform  it ;  but  this  light, 
as  it  is  received,  removes  the  blindness  of  the  judgment, 
opens  the  understanding,  and  rectifies  both  the  judgment 
and  the  conscience."* 

Though  the  term  inward  light,  is  not  with  Friends  such 
a  hackneyed  phrase  as  a  reader  of  the  review  and  other 
similar  productions  might  be  led  to  suppose,  we  have  no 
disposition  to  reject  it.  If  the  mind  of  man  is  loithin  him, 
it  would  appear  that  whatever  acts  immediately  on  the 
mind,  without  the  instrumentality  of  any  thing  cognizable 
by  the  senses,  must  be  inward  in  its  operation,  whatever 
it  may  be  in  its  nature  and  origin.  If  "  there  is  a  spirit  in 
man,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth  them 
understanding,"  Job.  xxxii.  8 ;  and  if "  whatsoever  doth 
make  manifest  is  light,"  Eph.  v.  13,  there  must  be  an  in- 
luard  light. 

The  doctrine  then,  which  we  advocate,  is  neither  more 
nor  less  than  what  the  Holy  Scriptures  bear  witness  to,  in 
numerous  passages.  "  The  word  is  very  nigh  thee,  in  thy 
heart  and  in  thy  mouth,"  Duet.  xxx.  14,  which,  the  apos- 
tle adds,  "  Is  the  word  of  faith  which  we  preach."  *'  But 
this  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  house 
of  Israel ;  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my 

*  Apol.  p.  146. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  43 

law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts; 
and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people. 
And  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  neighbour, 
and  every  man  his  brother,  saying,  know  the  Lord ;  for 
they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of  them  to  the  great- 
est of  them,  saith  the  Lord,"  Jer.  xxxi.  33,  34.  If  this 
prediction  is  ever  fulfilled,  it  must  be  by  divine  inspira- 
tion ;  for  the  testimony  of  Scripture,  however  excellent,  is 
outward,  and  not  written  by  the  divine  hand  on  the  heart. 
It  appears  that  in  the  Gospel  day,  to  which  this  prophecy 
unquestionably  alludes,  it  is  possible  for  all  to  knoio  the 
Lord.  But  our  blessed  Saviour  testified,  that  "  No  man 
knoweth  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever 
the  Son  will  reveal  him,"  Matt.  xi.  27.  In  the  memorable 
conversation  with  his  disciples,  a  short  time  before  his 
crucifixion,  the  gracious  promise  was  made :  "  I  will  pray 
the  Father,  and  he  will  give  you  another  Comforter,  that 
he  may  abide  with  yoa  forever ;  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
whom  the  world  cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not, 
neither  knoweth  him;  but  ye  know  him,  for  he  dwelleth 
with  you,  and  shall  hein  you."  This  is  afterwards,  in  gene- 
ral terms,  applied  toothers  as  well  as  to  the  immediate  dis- 
ciples. "  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words,  and  my 
Father  will  love  him;  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and 
make  our  abode  with  him."  This  Comforter,  or  Spirit  of 
Truth,  he  told  them,  should  teach  them,  and  bring  all 
things  to  their  remembrance,  whatsoever  he  had  said  unto 
them,  John,  xiv.  16,  &:c.  And  again,  after  his  resurrection, 
he  appears  to  have  closed  his  communication  to  his  disciples 
with  this  memorable  declaration  :  "  And  lo  I  am  with  you 
always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,"  Matt,  xxviii.  20. 
The  apostle  asks,  "  Know  ye  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  in 
you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  ?"  2  Cor.  xiii.  5. 

This  principle,  which  the  reviewer  takes  so  much  pains 
to  decry,  is  indeed  the  glory  of  the  Christian  dispensation. 


44  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

"  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Barjona,  for  flesh  and  blood  hath 
not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  father  which  is  in  hea- 
ven.    And  I  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it,"  Matt.  xvi.  17, 18.  Now  unless 
we  adopt  the  popish  exposition,  that  the  church  is  built  on 
Peter,  we  must  agree  that  Christ  revealed  is  the  rock  on 
which  the  true  church  was  to  be  built.     If,  then,  divine 
inspiration  has  ceased,  the  foundation  is  taken  away,  and 
what  becomes  of  the  church  ?     We  are    told  that  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  within  us ;  and  that  it  is  righteous- 
ness, peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.     But  it  is  repre- 
sented by  various  similitudes ;  a  grain  of  mustard  seed — 
a  little  leaven — a  net  cast  into  the  sea  enclosing  bad  and 
good — illustrating  the  various  appearances  and  operations 
of  this  divine  principle,  according  to  the  different  states  of 
the  subjects  on  whom  it  acts.     Whether  it  appears  as  a 
witness  against  sin  actually  committed,  bringing  the  mind 
under  condemnation ;  as  a  monitor  to  warn  against  the 
presentation  of  evil ;  as  a  secret  influence  inclining  the 
heart  to  love  and  revere  the  Author  of  our  existence  ;  as  a 
teacher  instructing  us  what  we  are  required  to  do ;  or  as 
a  spirit  of  consolation  affording  a  sensible  evidence  of  the 
mercy  and  goodness  of  God  ;  it  is  one  and  the  same  spirit, 
working  toward  the  same  end,    the  purification  of  the 
heart,  and  the  salvation  of  the  soul.     And  I  would  seri- 
ously put  the  question  to  any  man,  whether  he  has  not  fre- 
quently been   sensible  of  secret   impressions,  in  some  of 
these  ways,  which  he  could  not  explain  by  referring  them 
to  the  operations  of  the  mind  itself?     Probably  none,  who 
are  capable  of  reflection,  will  deny  that  they  have  often 
found  their  minds  touched  with  feelings  and  apprehen- 
sions of  a  very  serious  character,  which  did  not  arise  from 
voluntary  effort,  or  discoverable  association.     If  so,  it  is 
not  so  much  in  relation  to  facts,  as  to  the  explanation  of 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  45 

them,  that  we  differ  from  others.  Those  gentle  intima- 
tions of  duty,  or  convictions  for  sin,  which  we  all  at  times 
experience,  are  by  many  supposed  to  be  something  very 
different  from  the  admonitions  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth;  and 
are  therefore  disregarded  or  explained  away  by  a  re- 
ference to  some  unknown  influence,  or  imaginary  as- 
sociation. Now  we  do  not  say  that  every  impression 
which  the  mind  perceives  without  understanding  it,  is 
a  divine  intimation,  but  we  do  say,  that  those  impressions 
which  we  consider  as  of  divine  origin,  are  frequently  so 
gentle,  as  to  be  readily  overlooked.  We  do  not  imagine 
that  we  are  favoured  exclusively  with  the  openings  of  di- 
vine counsel,  but  we  attribute  to  this  source  what  many 
others  mistake  for  the  unexplained  and  unimportant  ope- 
rations of  the  mind  itself.*  As  in  natural  science  the  same 
phenomena  are  frequently  accounted  for  by  different  the- 
ories, so  it  is  in  the  case  before  us.  But  we  observe  in  the 
former,  that  a  theory  which  explains  a  phenomenon  by 
referring  it  to  its  true  principle,  serves  as  a  basis,  or  adds 
a  link  to  the  chain  of  other  discoveries,  while  a  false  the- 
ory only  darkens  what  it  professes  to  explain,  and  leads 
to  no  useful  result.  Thus,  though  Des  Cartes  as  well  as 
Newton,  was  acquainted  with  the  revolutions  of  the  plan- 
ets, yet  the  former  accounted  for  them  by  a  system  of 
vortices,  an  explanation  which  led  to  no  ulterior  discov- 
ery, while  the  theory  of  Newton,  being  founded  in  truth, 
furnished  the  means  to  unravel,  and  subject  to  calculation, 
the  whole  complex  system  of  the  planetary  motions.  So 
if  we  regard  any  secret  intimation  which  is  really  divine, 
as  a  mere  childish  fancy,  we  can  scarcely  fail  to  neglect  it ; 

*  The  communication  of  motion  from  one  body  to  another, 
is  as  inexplicable,  as  the  communication  of  divine  influences. 
We  know  nothing  of  force,  any  more  than  we  do  of  grace, 
except  by  their  effects. — Gregory's  Letters. 


46  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

but  if  we  refer  it  to  its  true  cause,  we  are  much  more 
likely  to  regard  it  with  serious  attention  and  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  its  saving  effects.  As  both  the  senses  and 
the  intellect  are  rendered  more  acute  by  constant  exercise, 
so  the  spiritual  faculties,  by  reason  of  use,  become  more 
capable  of  discerning  between  good  and  evil.  It  is  by  at- 
tending to  the  monitions  of  wisdom,  or  the  manifestations 
of  divine  light  in  its  smaller  appearances,  that  we  can 
become  partakers  of  its  greatest  benefits ;  for  they  only 
who  are  faithful  in  a  little,  have  reason  to  expect  that  they 
shall  be  made  rulers  over  more. 

A  correct  theory  is,  therefore,  of  incalculable  importance 
in  religion  as  well  as  in  science.  Now  the  theory  which 
we  espouse,  is  not  only  supported  by  the  direct  testimony 
and  general  tenor  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  is  confirmed 
by  the  experience  of  thousands.  For  those  who  make  it 
their  constant  care  to  seek  for  divine  counsel  in  the  secret 
of  the  soul,  and  to  regard  with  reverence  the  openings  of 
the  word  of  life  as  inwardly  manifested,  do  find  to  their 
unspeakable  consolation,  that  there  is  a  capacity  afforded 
to  distinguish  between  the  suggestions  of  their  own  imag- 
ination, and  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  They 
find  the  Scripture  declaration  verified  in  their  expe- 
rience, that  "  the  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light, 
which  shines  more  and  more  to  the  perfect  day."  But 
when  this  gentle  voice  is  rejected  and  despised  as  a  mere 
phantom  of  the  imagination,  it  is  known  only  as  a  light 
shining  in  darkness,  which  the  darkness  neither  compre- 
hends nor  regards.  Hence  it  is,  that  though  all  have 
heard,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the  voice  of  the  true 
shepherd,  yet  many  remain  uninstructed  by  it.  For  the 
testimony  is  yet  true,  "  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them 
gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God." 

But  the  reviewer  considers  enthusiasm  as  the  necessary 
consequence  of  a  practical  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  the  in- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  47 

ward  light.  It  may  be  observed,  that  his  reasoning,  if 
reasoning  it  may  be  called,  against  the  present  existence 
of  divine  inspiration,  would  have  been  just  as  good  in  the 
days  of  the  apostles,  as  it  is  now.  The  consequences  of 
this  belief  are  not  peculiar  to  the  present  age,  but  must 
arise,  if  they  arise  at  all,  out  of  the  nature  of  the  case, 
and  the  character  of  the  human  mind.  The  conclusion 
would  then  be,  that  divine  inspiration  was  never  to  be 
trusted  as  an  unerring  guide,  and  that  those  who  believed 
in  it  must  always  have  been  enthusiasts.  If,  then,  the 
Scriptures  owe  their  excellence  and  their  authority  to 
their  being  given  by  divine  inspiration,  what,  upon  the 
reviewer's  theory,  are  we  to  think  of  them  ?  Does  he  not, 
by  the  blow  aimed  at  the  doctrine  of  the  inward  light, 
inflict  a  deadly  wound  upon  the  whole  system  of  revealed 
religion?  What  would  the  most  confirmed  deist  demand, 
which  our  professed  advocate  of  Christianity  has  not  con- 
ceded. 

The  reasoning  of  the  apostle  Paul  has  scarcely  left  us 
any  alternative  between  absolute  deism  and  the  full  ad- 
mission of  the  doctrine  for  which  we  contend.  "  For  what 
man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man  but  the  spirit  of  a  man 
which  is  in  him  ?  Even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no 
man  but  the  spirit  of  God.  Now  wc  have  received  not 
the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  spirit  which  is  of  God,  that 
we  might  know  the  things  which  are  freely  given  us  of 
God.  Which  things  also  we  speak,  not  in  the  words 
which  man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
teacheth,  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual. 
But  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him,  neither 
can  he  know  them  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned." 
2  Cor.  ii.  11 — 14.  This  passage  not  only  refutes  the  re- 
viewer, but  shows  the  ground  of  his  opinion. 

The  assertion  that  the  inward  light  has  in  the  theory 


48  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

of  Friends  "an  office  assigned  to  it  which  makes  it  para- 
mount to  God's  word,"  is  far  from  being  a  clear  represen- 
tation of  the  subject.  If  we  attach  to  the  expression,  the 
meaning  which  Friends  give  to  it,  the  question  of  para- 
mount authority  cannot  possibly  arise.  For  according 
to  them,  Christ  is  the  Word  of  God.  Rev.  xix.  13.  "  The 
same  which  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  was  God ; 
in  whom  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men."  But 
the  reviewer,  I  suppose,  applies  the  term  to  the  Scriptures. 
The  force  of  his  censure,  then,  depends  upon  the  admission 
of  two  hypotheses,  not  distinctly  expressed,  though  neces- 
sarily implied.  First,  that  the  inward  light  is  mere  imag- 
ination, some  whim  or  fancy  that  may  happen  to  strike 
the  mind  ;  an  hypothesis  which  depends  entirely  upon  his 
own  unscriptural  dogma,  that  "  the  days  of  inspiration 
have  long  since  gone  by."  But  the  office  which  Friends 
assign  to  the  inward  light  is  no  other  than  what  the  Scrip- 
tures assign  to  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  Their  doctrine  ap- 
plies to  ''  the  true  light  which  lighteth  every  man  thatcom- 
eth  into  the  world."  John,  i.  9.  If  any  mistake  the 
suggestions  of  imagination  for  the  revelations  of  the  divine 
spirit,  (and  Friends  have  never  denied  that  the  hasty  and 
inconsiderate  may  fall  into  such  mistake)  the  error  no 
more  proves  the  fallacy  of  the  doctrine,  than  the  mistakes 
in  Joseph  Scaliger's  pretended  mathematical  solutions, 
prove  the  fallacy  of  mathematical  demonstration. 

His  second  implied  hypothesis  is,  that  the  inward  light 
may  lead  to  conclusions  incompatible  with  Scripture  testi- 
mony. Now  we  must  remember,  that  the  censure  cast 
upon  Friends  for  assigning  the  office  they  do  to  the  in- 
ward light,  is  applied  without  distinction  to  each  of  his 
suppositions  as  to  what  this  light  is,  and  consequently  to 
that  of  its  being  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  how  can  they  give 
too  much  authority  to  the  dictates  of  the  Holy  Spirit? 
Or  how  can  an  authority  paramount  to  Scripture  testi- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  49 

mony,  assigned  to  the  Spirit  of  Truth  itself,  derogate  from 
the  authority  of  Scripture,  unless  they  disagree?  And  to 
suppose  a  disagreement,  is  to  suppose  either  that  the  Spirit 
of  Truth  will  lead  into  error,  or  that  the  Scriptures  are 
erroneous.  Now  Friends  have  always  held,  that  the  Holy 
Scriptures  were  given  by  divine  inspiration,  and  that  they 
never  are  contradicted  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  mind  of 
man ;  but  on  the  contrary,  that  this  spirit,  when  received 
and  attended  to,  affords  the  most  clear  and  satisfactory 
evidence  of  their  truth.  George  Fox  informs  us,  that 
when  he  had  openings,*  they  answered  to  the  Scriptures 
— that  he  had  great  openings  in  the  Scriptures,  and  they 
were  very  precious  to  him.  Journal,  vol.  I.  pa.  7 — 28. 
In  his  preaching,  his  epistles,  and  his  arguments  with  those 
who  opposed  him,  he  always  appealed  to  the  testimony  of 
Scripture  in  support  of  his  doctrines.  Barclay  observes, 
"  we  are  very  willing  that  all  our  doctrines  and  practices 
be  tried  by  them ;  which  we  never  refused,  nor  ever  shall, 
in  all  controversies  with  our  adversaries,  as  the  judge  and 
test.  We  shall  also  be  very  willing  to  admit  it  as  a  posi- 
tive maxim,  that  whatsoever  any  do,  pretending  to  the 
Spirit,  which  is  contrary  to  the  Scriptures,  be  counted  and 
reckoned  a  delusion  of  the  devil.  For  as  we  never  lay 
claim  to  the  Spirit's  leadings,  that  we  may  cover  ourselves 
in  any  thing  that  is  evil ;  so  we  know  that  as  every  evil 
contradicteth  the  Scriptures,  so  it  doth  also  the  Spirit  in 
the  first  place,  from  which  the  Scriptures  came ;  and 
whose  motions  can  never  contradict  one  another."  Apol. 
pa.  8. 

In  what  school  of  theology  our  reviewer's  studies  were 
prosecuted,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conjecture,  when  I  reflect. 


*  This  word  was  used  by  him  to  indicate  the  revelations  of 
divine  truth,  which  he  believed  were  often  made  to  him. 


50  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

that  not  only  the  writers  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  fathers, 
so  called,  of  the  Christian  cimrch,  as  Augustine,  Clemens 
Alexandrinus,  Tertullian,  Gregory,  &c.  but  the  modern 
reformers,  Luther,  Melancthon,  Calvin  and  others,  sup- 
ported the  doctrine  which  he  so  unceremoniously  condemns. 
Those  who  believe  that  inspiration  has  ceased,  ftre  much 
more  likely  to  depend  upon  their  trained  preacher,  and 
admit,  without  examination,  the  doctrine  which  he  may 
deal  out,  than  those  who  believe  that  a  measure  of  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal  ; 
that  this  is  a  spirit  of  judgment  to  them  that  sit  in  judg- 
ment ;  and  that  under  its  influence  the  ear  trieth  words  as 
the  mouth  tasteth  meat ;  and  that  they  who  do  the  will  of 
our  heavenly  father,  shall  know  whether  the  doctrine  they 
hear  is  from  him,  or  whether  the  preacher  speaks  of  him- 
self. 

But  we  are  told,  that  the  most  melancholy  feature  in 
our  system  is,  that  "  it  is  unfriendly  to  an  enlightened, 
active,  scriptural  piety."  When  we  examine  the  reasons 
assigned  by  the  reviewer  for  this  assertion,  we  find  the 
old  doctrine  of  the  middle  ages,  very  thinly  veiled — pay 
the  jiriest.  Our  silent  meetings,  or  very  short  sermons,  do 
not,  in  his  opinion,  supply  food  for  devotion.  We  read  in 
the  New  Testament  of  some  very  short  sermons.  "  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 
"  Come  see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I 
did,  is  not  this  the  Christ?"  These  were  certainly  shorter 
than  most  testimonies  ever  heard  even  in  the  meetings  of 
Friends,  yet  they  were  effectual.  The  hearers  were  turned 
to  the  Saviour,  and  brought  to  believe  on  him.  Hence 
we  see  that  it  is  not  the  length  or  learning  displayed,  that 
gives  value  to  a  sermon,  but  the  authority  which  accom- 
panies it.  As  to  silent  meetings,  it  may  be  safely  left  to 
any  practical  Christian  to  decide,  which  is  most  conducive 
to  real,  ardent,  heartfelt  piety,  the  prostration  of  the  soul 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  51 

in  solemn  silence,  before  the  throne  of  grace,  to  wait  in 
humble  adoration  for  instruction  how  to  pray,  and  what  to 
pray  for;  or  listening,  during  an  equal  portion  of  time,  to 
an  eloquent  discourse,  composed  at  leisure  in  the  closet,  by 
one  who  is  hired  and  paid  for  the  purpose,  and  whose 
interest  it  evidently  is  to  preach  such,  doctrine  as  his  em- 
ployers will  relish.  It  is  not  intended  here  to  assert,  that 
silent  meetings  always  are  what  is  here  described,  or  that 
those  who  preach  for  a  stipend  always  endeavour  to  suit 
their  doctrines  to  the  taste  of  their  employers.  Many  of 
them, no  doubt,  endeavour  to  perform  their  duty  religiously. 
But  I  speak  of  the  design  and  object  in  the  one  case,  and 
of  the  natural  tendency  of  the  system  in  the  other. 

It  is  frequently  intimated,  that  the  doctrines  or  the  reli- 
gion of  Friends  is  not  scriptural.  A  careful  examination 
however,  cannot  fail  to  prove  that  in  both  these  particu- 
lars. Friends  are  more  strictly  scriptural,  than  any  of  their 
opposers.  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the 
Father  is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their 
affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world." 
James,  i.  27.  If  this  is  scriptural  religion,  the  admissions 
of  the  reviewer  are  sufficient  to  show  that  Friends  are  not 
behind  others  in  regard  to  it.  That  they  pay  a  very  great 
regard  to  the  Scriptures  is  obvious  from  what  has  been 
already  shown.  Of  their  care  to  have  their  children  well 
acquainted  with  them,  the  following  evidence  may  suffice. 

Third  Query.  "  Are  Friends  careful  to  bring  up  those 
under  their  direction,  in  plainness  of  speech,  behaviour, 
and  apparel;  in  frequent  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
and  to  restrain  them  from  reading  pernicious  books,  and 
from  the  corrupt  conversation  of  the  world  ?" 

"  We  tenderly  and  earnestly  advise  and  exhort  all 
parents  and  heads  of  families,  that  they  endeavour  to  in- 
struct their  children  and  families  in  the  doctrines  and  pre- 
cepts of  the  Christian  religion,  as  contained  in  the  Scrip- 


52  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

tures ;  and  that  they  excite  them  to  the  diligent  reading;  of 
those  excellent  writings,  which  plainly  set  forth  the 
miraculous  conception,  birth,  holy  life,  wonderful  works, 
blessed  example,  meritorious  death,  and  glorious  resurrec- 
tion, ascension  and  mediation  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ  ;  and  to  educate  their  children  in  the  belief 
of  those  important  truths,  as  well  as  in  the  belief  of  the 
inward  manifestation  and  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
their  own  minds,  that  they  may  reap  the  benefit  and 
advantage  thereof,  for  their  own  peace  and  everlasting 
happiness  ;  which  is  infinitely  preferable  to  all  other  con- 
siderations."    Discipline,  page  100. 

"  This  meeting  doth  earnestly  exhort  all  parents,  heads 
of  families  and  guardians  of  minors,  that  they  prevent,  as 
much  as  in  them  lies,  their  children,  and  others  under  their 
care  and  tuition,  from  having  or  reading  books  and  papers 
tending  to  prejudice  the  profession  of  the  Christian  religion, 
to  create  the  least  doubt  concerning  the  authenticity  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  or  of  those  saving  truths  declared  in 
them  ;  lest  their  infant  and  feeble  minds  should  be  poisoned 
thereby,  and  a  foundation  laid  for  the  greatest  evils." 
Discipline,  page  12. 

Does  all  this  prove  the  great  deficiency  of  instruction, 
and  want  of  scriptural  knowledge,  with  which  we  are 
charged  ? 

It  is  remarkable,  that  one  principal  reason  why  Friends 
are  often  charged  with  want  of  scriptural  soundness  is, 
that  they  confine  themselves,  in  their  expositions  of  the 
mysteries  of  religion,  to  the  positive  testimony  of  Scrip- 
ture; and  never  attempt  to  supply  by  vague  conjecture, 
what  the  sacred  penmen  thought  right  to  withhold.  Thus 
the  reviewer  tells  us,  they  appear  to  reject  the  doctrine  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  body  :  though  he  admits,  "  this  is 
inferred  rather  from  their  total  silence,  or  vague  implica- 
tion, than  explicit  denial."     Now  if  we  examine  the  writ- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  53 

ings  of  Friends,  who  have  treated  upon  this  subject,  we 
find  an  express  declaration  of  the  belief,  that  there  will  be 
a  resurrection  both  of  the  just  and  of  the  "unjust;  but  as 
the  apostle  declines  deciding  with  what  body  they  shall 
rise,  Friends  have  not  presumed  to  supply  the  omission. 

"  There  shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the 
just  and  unjust.  They  that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  damnation.  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God ;  neither  doth  corruption  inherit  in- 
corruption.  Nor  is  that  body  sown  that  shall  be ;  but 
God  giveth  it  a  body  as  it  hath  pleased  him,  and  to  every 
seed  his  own  body :  It  is  sown  in  corruption,  it  is  raised 
in  incorruption ;  it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in 
power :  it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual 
body."  Barclay's  Confession  of  Faith,  art.  23.  "  We 
deny  not,  but  believe  the  resurrection,  according  to  the 
Scriptures,  not  only  from  sin,  but  also  from  death  and  the 
grave  ;  but  are  conscientiously  cautious  in  expressing  the 
manner  of  the  resurrection,  because  it  is  left  a  secret  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Scripture.  Should  people  be  angry 
with  them  for  not  expressing  or  asserting  what  is  hidden, 
and  which  is  more  curious  than  necessary  to  be  known? 
Thou  fool,  is  to  the  curious  inquirer,  as  says  the  apostle  : 
which  makes  the  Quakers  contented  with  that  body  which 
God  shall  please  to  give  them  hereafter;  being  assured 
that  their  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  their 
mortal  shall  put  on  immortality,  but  in  such  manner  as 
pleaseth  God.  And  in  the  mean  time  they  esteem  it  iheir 
duty,  as  well  as  wisdom,  to  acquiesce  in  his  holy  will.  It 
is  enough,  they  believe  a  resurrection,  and  that  with  a 
glorious  and  incorruptible  body,  without  further  niceties  ; 
for  to  that  was  the  ancient  hope."  Penn's  Key,  sec.  11. 
Vide  also  his  testimony  to  the  truth,  art.  15,     Reply  to  the 


54  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

Bishop  of  Cork,  Select  Works,  folio,  page  826.     Bates's 
Doctrine  of  Friends,  page  26. 

Their  rejection  of  the  sacraments,  as  they  are  usually 
termed,  is  often  advanced  as  a  heavy  charge ;  almost,  if 
not  altogether,  sufficient  to  unchristianise  them.  But  here, 
as  before,  the  difference  arises  from  the  closer  adherence 
of  Friends  to  the  letter,  as  well  as  the  spirit  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Supposing  myself  concerned  with  protestantsonly, 
no  notice  will  be  taken  of  those  which  they  disallow.  As 
the  light  of  the  reformation  caused  five  out  of  seven  of  these 
ceremonials  to  vanish,  it  would  appear,  that  Friends,  by 
the  rejection  of  the  other  two,  had  only  carried  the  refor- 
mation, in  those  particulars,  a  little  further  than  their 
protestant  predecessors. 

With  regard  to  baptism,  it  maybe  observed,  that  the 
advocates  of  water  baptism,  when  they  attempt  to  prove 
it  a  divine  command,  rely  chiefly  on  the  text,  "  Go  ye 
therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Matt,  xxviii.  19.  As  nothing  is  here  said  respecting  water, 
how  does  this  text  prove  that  water  must  be  used.  To 
say  that  loater  must  be  understood,  is  to  beg  the  question, 
not  to  prove  the  position  ;  a  mode  of  arguing  which  affords 
presumptive  evidence  that  the  question  at  issue  cannot  be 
satisfactorily  proved.  The  expression  teach  (or  rather 
disciple  or  proselyte)  all  nations,  baptizing  them  into  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
strongly  indicates  that  these  acts  were  to  be  simultaneous. 
And  this  construction  is  confirmed  by  the  command  to  tarry 
at  Jerusalem  till  they  were  endued  with  power  from  on 
high.  We  accordingly  find  that  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  did  attend  the  preaching  of  the  apostles ;  as  in  the 
case  of  Cornelius  and  others  assembled  at  his  house.  Acts, 
X.  44. 

Another  consideration,  however,  appears  to  me  conclu- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  55 

sive  on  the  subject.  We  find  two  baptisms,  totally  dis- 
tinct from  each  other,  clearly  recognised  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  baptism  of  John,  which  was  with  water; 
and  the  baptism  of  Christ  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  for- 
mer a  preparatory  and  decreasing  dispensation;  the  latter 
an  increasing  and  abiding  one.  Matt.  iii.  3.  11.  Luke,i. 
76.  33.  John,  iii.  28.  30.  Now,  when  Christ  commanded 
his  disciples  to  baptize,  without  expressly  declaring  to  what 
baptism  he  alluded,  the  necessary  construction  is,  that  he 
meant  his  ow^n.  Had  any  other  been  intended,  it  must, 
to  make  the  matter  clear,  have  been  expressed ;  but  if  his 
own  was  intended,  no  such  specification  was  necessary. 
Let  us  take  as  an  illustration,  the  article  of  the  federal 
constitution,  which  declares,  that  the  president  shall  see 
that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed.  Could  there  be  a 
doubt  as  to  ivhat  laws  were  intended  ?  Or  would  any 
lawyer  hesitate  to  decide  that  the  words,  "  of  the  United 
States,"  were  totally  needless,  and,  if  used,  would  have 
been  sheer  tautology  1  Again,  the  disciples  were  com- 
manded to  teach.  To  teach  what?  The  philosophy  of 
Aristotle?  Or  rather  to  proselyte.  To  proselyte  to  what  ? 
The  law  of  Moses  ?  To  the  doctrines  of  the  Pharisees  ? 
Assuredly  they  were  to  teach  the  doctrines  of  Christianity ; 
to  proselyte  all  nations  to  the  faith  of  Christ.  If  then  we 
cannot,  without  the  most  glaring  absurdity,  apply  the  first 
part  of  the  commission  to  any  other  doctrines  than  those 
which  belong  to  the  dispensation  of  Christ ;  what  authority 
can  we  find  for  changing  the  application  of  the  concluding 
part?  Must  we  suppose  that  one  part  of  the  sentence 
relates  to  the  doctrines  of  Christ,  and  the  other  to  the 
dispensation  of  John? 

If  all  nations  are  at  any  time  to  be  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  to  be  baptised  with  water,  as  a  part  of  that 
dispensation,  it  is  not  easy  to  discover  in  what  manner 
John's  own  prediction  is  to  be  accomplished.     His  dispen- 


56  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

sation  would,  upon  that  supposition,  continue  to  increase ; 
and  would  be  at  all  times  co-extensive  with  that  which, 
according  to  his  own  testimony,  was  to  supersede  it. 

When  baptism  is  mentioned  as  necessary  to  salvation, 
nothing  appears  to  prove  that  loater  was  intended.  "  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptised  shall  be  saved."  Mark,  xvi. 
16.  The  antitype*  "  whereof,  baptism,  doth  now  save  us 
(not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  but  the 
answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God,)  by  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  Christ."  1  Pet.  iii.  21.  As  the  apostle 
declares," there  isone  Lord, one  faith,  onehaptisni,''^\)\\.\v. 
5,  and  the  Scriptures  no  where  assert  that  the  baptism 
with  water  is  that  one  baptism,  but  on  the  contrary  clearly 
prove  that  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  one  true 
Christian  baptism,  those  who  would  unchristianize  the 
Society  of  Friends  because  they  reject  the  watery  dispen- 
sation, must  find  some  other  standard  of  Christianity  than 
the  New  Testament.  But  how  those  who  contend  for 
water  baptism,  as  a  Christian  ordinance,  can  justify  to 
themselves  the  rejection  of  baptism,  and  the  introduction 
of  a  substitute  which  has  neither  precept  nor  practice  in 
Scripture  to  support  it,  is  not  easily  understood.  For  the 
sprinkling  of  infants  is  not  even  the  baptism  of  John. 

A  little  examination  will  be  sufficient  to  show,  that 
Friends  are  no  less  scriptural  in  regard  to  the  Lord's 
supper,  than  they  are  in  relation  to  baptism.  And  here, 
it  is  to  be  observed,  that  a  doctrine,  deducible  by  superfi- 
cial examination,  from  one  or  two  isolated  texts,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  general  tenor  of  the  New  Testament,  is  not 
properly  a  Scriptural  doctrine.     That  construction  which 


*I  have  here  substituted  for  the  expression,  the  lihe  figure, 
given  in  the  common  translation,  that  which  the  Greek,  Avt<. 
Tt/TTov,  manifestly  requires. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  57 

is  sustained  by  the  general  scope  as  well  as  by  single  texts, 
must  be  considered  as  the  genuine  one.  Now  what,  ac- 
cording to  the  general  tenor  of  the  Scriptures,  were  the 
legal  ceremonies,  but  types  and  shadows  of  the  more  spir- 
itual religion  which  was  introduced  by  the  coming  of 
Christ?  (See  particularly  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews). 
What  was  the  passover,  but  a  type  of  the  one  great  offer- 
ing for  the  redemption  of  the  world  ?  In  the  institution  of 
this  feast,  the  time  and  manner  of  its  observance  were 
clearly  explained.  Nothing  was  left  to  conjecture.  We 
might  therefore  expect  that  a  ceremony  of  a  similar 
character,  which  was  to  be  observed  by  the  whole  Chris- 
tian world,  would  be  no  less  clearly  explained.  The 
numerous  disputes,  however,  among  Christian  professors, 
respecting  the  time,  and  manner,  and  frequency  of  its 
observance,  as  well  as  an  inspection  of  those  passages  from 
which  the  obligation  is  inferred,  are  sufficient  evidence 
that  we  are  not  furnished  with  such  precise  direction  on 
this  subject,  as  the  Israelites  were.  The  disputes  respect- 
ing the  character  of  the  eucharist  itself,  furnish  no  small 
reason  to  suspect  the  existence  of  some  radical  error,  com- 
mon to  all  the  disputants.  The  Romanists  insist  that  the 
words,  this  is  my  body,  must  be  understood  as  literally  true, 
not  only  when  applied  to  the  bread  used  by  Christ  him- 
self, but  to  that  now  consecrated  by  the  priest ;  while 
Luther  and  his  followers  allow  that  the  bread  and  wine 
retain  their  substance,  but  that  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ  are  also  present  in  them ;  but  Calvin  denies  this 
doctrine,  asserting  that  the  bread  and  wine  are  not  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ,  but  that  both  his  body  and  blood 
are  sacramentally  received  by  the  faithful  in  the  use  of 
bread  and  wine. 

But  Friends,  without  puzzling  themselves  with  such 
inexplicable  theories,  perceive  in  the  narrative  of  our 
Saviour's  last  supper  with  his  disciples,  a  plain  account  of 

8 


58  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

a  Jewish  ceremony,  which  he,  in  fulfilment  of  the  Mosaic 
law,  was  careful  to  observe.  And  in  this  case,  as  well  as 
others,  he  took  occasion  to  turn  their  attention  from  the 
type  to  the  antitype ;  from  the  paschal  lamb  to  himself, 
"  the  lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 
And  inasmuch  as  the  Jews  were  in  the  habit  of  consider- 
inff  this  feast,  as  a  commemoration  of  their  deliverance 
from  Egyptian  bondage  ;  they,  being  Jews,  and  therefore 
likely  for  a  time  to  continue  the  observance,  w^ere  thence- 
forth to  view  it  as  applied  to  the  greater  deliverance  which 
he  offered  to  those  w  ho  believe  and  receive  him.  "  This 
do  in  remembrance  of  me."  Luke,  xxii.  19.  That  no  in- 
stitution of  a  new  ceremony  was  intended,  appears  clear 
from  the  circumstance,  that  in  neither  Matthew,  Mark  or 
John,  can  we  find  any  thing  like  a  command  to  observe  it 
in  future.  The  two  former  both  mention  the  application 
of  the  passover  to  himself;  thus  giving  substantially  the 
same  information  with  Luke ;  but  omitting  only  the  words 
which  seem  to  imply  that  the  practice  was  to  continue. 
Thus  proving  conclusively  that  the  application,  not  the 
future  observance  of  the  ceremony,  was  the  real  object  of 
the  communication. 

The  evangelist  John,  who  certainly  understood  the 
meaning  of  his  Lord's  injunctions  as  clearly  as  any  of 
them,  passes  over  the  subject  of  the  last  supper  very 
briefly  ;  yet  he  lays  down,  in  another  chapter,  the  doctrine 
inculcated  in  this  place  by  the  other  evangelists,  more 
strongly  than  either  of  them.  "  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of 
the  son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you. 
Whoso  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eter- 
nal life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  I  am  the 
true  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven.  If  a  man  eat 
of  this  bread  he  shall  live  forever."  John,  vi.  5L  53,  54. 
This  however  is  declared  to  be  spiritual :  "  It  is  the  spirit 
that  quickeneth,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing,  the  words  that 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIExNDS.  59 

I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life,"  verse 
63.  These  passages,  viewed  in  connection  with  the  gene- 
ral tenor  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  clearly  prove  that 
the  object  was  not  to  add  a  new  ceremony  to  those  with 
which  the  Jewish  church  was  sufficiently  burlhened,  nor 
to  perpetuate  an  old  one,  but  to  spiritualize  those  with 
which  the  disciples  were  already  acquainted.  In  the 
memorable  decision  of  the  apostles  and  elders  on  the  ques- 
tion of  circumcision,  we  find  these  remarkable  words, 
relative  to  outward  observances.  "  It  seemed  good  to  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden 
than  these  necessary  things."  In  the  enumeration  which 
follows,  we  find  no  trace  of  the  sacraments,  so  called,  as  we 
may  reasonably  suppose  we  should,  if  the  assembly  then 
convened  had  judged  them  an  essential  part  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion. 

The  expostulation  of  the  apostle  Paul  with  the  Corin- 
thians, is  unquestionably  a  severe  and  just  rebuke,  for  the 
shamaful  manner  in  which  they  practiced  this  ceremony  : 
and  I  doubt  not  Friends  will  agree  with  him,  that  if  the 
thing  is  observed  as  a  memorial  of  our  Saviour's  last  sup- 
per with  his  disciples,  it  ought  to  be  done  seriously,  and 
with  a  solemn  remembrance  of  him.  If  Christians  are 
enjoined  to  press  after  the  spiritual  communion  of  the  body 
and  blood  of  Christ,  it  is  no  wonder  the  apostle  should 
express,  in  energetic  terms,  his  disapprobation  of  the  prac- 
tice of  converting  the  typical  representation  of  this  com- 
munion into  an  occasion  of  rioting  and  drunkenness.  But 
to  infer  from  this  expostulation,  that  Christians  of  all  coun- 
tries and  generations,  are  required  to  observe  the  outward 
rite,  is  neither  to  follow  the  letter  nor  the  spirit  of  the 
passage.  Those  who  desire  to  see  the  doctrines  of  Friends 
on  this  subject  fully  explained,  are  referred  to  Barclay's 
Apology,  Prop.  13.     Joseph  Phipps'  Treatise  on  Baptism. 

Another  point   on  which  they  have    been   frequently 


60  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

charged  with  unsoundness,  and  for  a  similar  reason,  is  in 
relation  to  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity.  For  it  will  be 
easy  to  prove  that  what  they  reject  is  not  the  testimony 
of  Scripture,  but  the  inventions  and  interpolations  of  men. 
As  the  word,  trinity,  or  one  God  existing  in  three  distinct 
persons,  can  no  where  be  found  in  the  sacred  writings, 
the  rejection  of  the  term  and  this  definition  of  it,  is  cer- 
tainly no  evidence  of  deficiency  in  scriptural  soundness. 
Now  the  truth  is,  that  Friends  have  always  acknowledged 
the  text,  "  There  are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven, 
the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  these 
three  are  one ;"  1  John,  v.  6.  which  the  unitarians  so 
strenuously  oppose  as  a  trinitarian  interpolation.  And 
this  was  done,  not  on  the  ground  of  historical  evidence 
alone,  but  also  because  the  doctrine  is  consistent  with  nu- 
merous other  portions  of  Scripture ;  and  appears  indeed 
an  essential  part  of  the  great  Christian  system.  See  John, 
i.  5.  10.  14.  X.  30.  xiv.  10.  30.  xvi.  13—16.  George 
Fox,  in  his  "  Answer  to  such  as  falsely  say  the  Quakers 
are  no  Christians,"  uses  these  words  :  "  It  is  the  Spirit 
that  beareth  witness,  because  the  Spirit  is  truth ;  for 
there  are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the 
Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  these  three  are  one,  &c. 
And  now,  let  none  be  offended,  because  we  do  not  call 
them  by  those  unscriptural  names,  of  trinity,  and  three 
persons,  which  are  not  scripture  words ;  and  so  do  falsely 
say,  that  we  deny  the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  which  three  are  one  that  bear  record  in  heaven, 
&c.  which  three  we  own  with  all  our  hearts,  as  the  apos- 
tle John  did,  and  as  all  true  Christians  ever  did,  and  now 
do ;  and  if  you  say  we  are  not  Christians,  because  we  do 
not  call  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  the  trinity,  dis- 
tinct and  separate  persons,  then  you  may  as  well  conclude 
that  John  was  no  Christian,  who  did  not  give  the  Father, 
Word,  and  Holy  Ghost  these  names."    pa.  26.     Declara- 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  61 

tions  of  similar  import  are  found  in  the  works  of  Barclay, 
Penn,  Whitehead,  Pennington,  Howgill,  &c.  See  Evans's 
Exposition. 

To  prove  the  belief  of  Friends  in  the  divinity  and  offices 
of  Christ,  and  the  consistency  of  that  belief  with  the  tes- 
timony of  the  scriptures,  the  following  may  suffice. 
"  First,  then,  we  renounce  all  natural  power  and  ability 
in  ourselves,  in  order  to  bring  us  out  of  our  lost  and 
fallen  condition,  and  first  nature,  and  confess,  that  as  of 
ourselves,  we  are  able  to  do  nothing  that  is  good,  so  nei- 
ther can  we  procure  remission  of  sins  or  justification  by 
any  act  of  our  own,  so  as  to  merit  it,  or  draw  it  as  a  debt 
from  God,  due  unto  us  ;  but  we  acknowledge  all  to  be  of 
and  from  his  love,  which  is  the  original  and  fundamental 
cause  of  our  acceptance.* 

"Secondly.  God  manifested  this  love  towards  us  in  the 
sending  of  his  beloved  son,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  into  the 
world,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice 
to  God,  for  a  sweet  smelling-savour ;  and  having  made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross,  that  he  might  recon- 
cile us  unto  himself,  and  by  the  Eternal  Spirit  offered 
himself  without  spot  unto  God,  and  suffered  for  our  sins, 
the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he  might  bring  us  unto  God. 


*  This  passage  completely  disproves  the  assertion  of  the  re- 
viewer that  "  nearly  all  Quakers  agree  in  the  notion,  that  their 
salvation  depends,  not  on  the  sovereign  grace  of  God,  in  im- 
planting a  new  principle  in  the  soul,  but  on  their  own  diligent 
efforts  in  cultivating  a  principle  which  originally  belongs  to 
them."  There  is  probably  no  doctrine  more  clearly  and  fre- 
quently inculcated  among  us,  than  that  if  we  are  saved,  our 
salvation  must  be  effected  by  the  grace  of  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  ;  and  if  we  are  lost,  our  perdition  will  be  of 
ourselves  in  consequence  of  our  refusing  to  submit  to  the 
saving  operation  of  this  grace. 


g3  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

"  Thirdly.  Forasmuch  as  all  men  who  have  come  to 
man's  estate,  (the  man  Jesus  only  excepted)  have  sinned, 
therefore  all  have  need  of  this  Saviour,  to  remove  the 
wrath  of  God  from  them  due  to  their  offences ;  in  this  re- 
spect he  is  truly  said  to  have  borne  the  iniquities  of  us  all 
in  his  body  on  the  tree,  and  therefore  is  the  only  Media- 
tor, havingquailfied  the  wrath  of  God  towards  us  ;  so  that 
our  former  sins  stand  not  in  our  way,  being  by  virtue  of 
his  most  satisfactory  sacrifice,  removed  and  pardoned. 
Neither  do  we  think  that  remission  of  sins  is  to  be 
expected,  sought  or  obtained  any  other  way,  or  by 
any  works  or  sacrifice  whatever ;  though  they  may 
come  to  partake  of  this  remission,  that  are  ignorant 
of  the  history.  So,  then,  Christ  by  his  death  and  suf- 
erings  hath  reconciled  us  to  God,  even  while  we  are 
enemies ;  that  is,  he  offers  reconciliation  unto  us  ;  we  are 
put  into  a  capacity  of  being  reconciled  ;  God  is  willing  to 
forgive  us  our  iniquities,  and  to  accept  us,  as  is  well  ex- 
pressed by  the  apostle,  2  Cor.  v.  19.  '  God  was  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  their 
trespasses  unto  them,  and  hath  put  in  us  the  word  of 
reconciliation.'  And  therefore  the  apostle  in  the  next 
verses,  intreats  them  in  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to 
God,  intimating  that  the  wrath  of  God  being  removed  by 
the  obedience  of  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  willing  to  be  reconciled 
unto  them,  and  ready  to  remit  the  sins  that  are  past,  if 
they  repent. 

"  We  consider  then  our  redemption  in  a  twofold  respect 
or  state,  both  which  in  their  own  nature  are  perfect, 
though  in  their  application  to  us,  the  one  is  not,  nor  can 
be,  without  respect  to  the  other. 

"  The  first  is  the  redemption  performed  and  accomplished 
by  Christ  for  us  in  his  crucified  body  without  us ;  the 
other  is  the  redemption  wrought  by  Christ  in  us ;  which 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  53 

is  no  less  properly  called,  and  accounted  a  redemption  than 
the  former.  The  first  then  is  that  whereby  a  man,  as  he 
stands  in  the  fall,  is  put  into  a  capacity  of  salvation,  and 
hath  conveyed  unto  him  a  measure  of  that  power,  virtue, 
spirit,  life,  and  grace  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  which  as 
the  free  gift  of  God,  is  able  to  counterbalance,  overcome, 
and  root  out  the  evil  seed  wherewith  we  are  naturally,  as 
in  the  fall,  leavened. 

"  The  second  is  that  whereby  we  witness  and  know  this 
pure  and  perfect  redemption  in  ourselves,  purifying,  clean- 
sing, and  redeeming  us  from  the  power  of  corruption,  and 
bringing  us  into  unity,  favour  and  friendship  w  ith  God." 
Barclay's  Apology,  page  202 — 204. 

"  Though  we  place  remission  of  sins  in  the  righteousness 
and  obedience  of  Christ  performed  by  him  in  the  flesh,  as 
to  what  pertains  to  the  remote  procuring  cause,  and  that 
we  hold  ourselves  formally  justified  by  Christ  Jesus  formed 
and  brought  forth  in  us,  yet  we  cannot,  as  some  protestants 
have  unwarily  done,  exclude  w^orks  from  justification. 
For  though  properly  we  be  not  justified /or  them,  yet  are 
we  justified  in  them;  and  they  are  necessary,  even  as 
causa  sine  qua  non,  i.  e.  the  cause  without  which  none  are 
justified."  Ibid,  page  207.  Similar  doctrines  are  repeat- 
edly professed  by  William  Penn ;  particularly  in  his 
Primitive  Christianity  Revived.  The  same  doctrine  ap- 
pears in  the  writings  of  I.  Pennington,  E.  Burough,  F. 
Howgill,  and  others. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  a  declaration  of  faith 
presented  to  the  British  Parliament  in  1689,  signed  by  a 
number  of  Friends.  It  is  in  the  form  of  question  and 
answer. 

"  Question.  Do  you  believe  the  divinity  and  humanity 
of  Jesus  Christ  the  eternal  son  of  God,  or  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  truly  God  and  man  ? 

"  Answer.  Yes,  we  verily  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is 


64  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

truly  God  and  man,  according  as  the  Holy  Scriptures 
testify  of  him  ;  God  over  all  blessed  forever ;  the  true 
God  and  eternal  life ;  the  one  Mediator  between  God  and 
man,  even  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

"  Question.  Do  you  believe  and  expect  salvation  and 
justification,  by  the  righteousness  and  merits  of  Jesus 
Christ,  or  by  your  own  righteousness  or  works? 

"  Answer.  By  Jesus  Christ,  his  righteousness,  merits 
and  works,  and  not  by  our  own :  God  is  not  indebted  to  us 
for  our  deservings,  but  we  to  him  for  his  free  grace  in 
Christ  Jesus,  whereby  we  are  saved  through  faith  in  him, 
not  of  ourselves,  and  by  his  grace  enabled  truly  and  ac- 
ceptably to  serve  and  follow  him  as  he  requires.  He  is  our 
all  in  all,  who  worketh  all  in  us  that  is  well  pleasing  to  God. 

"  Question.  Do  you  believe  remission  of  sins  and  re- 
demption through  the  sufferings,  death  and  blood  of 
Christ  ? 

"  Answer.  Yes,  through  faith  in  him,  as  he  suffered  and 
died  for  all  men,  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  and  his 
blood  being  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins,  so  all  they  who 
sincerely  believe  and  obey  him,  receive  the  benefits  and 
blessed  effects  of  his  suffering  and  dying  for  them ;  they, 
by  faith  in  his  name,  receive  and  partake  of  that  eternal 
redemption  which  he  hath  obtained  for  us,  who  gave 
himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity  ; 
he  died  for  our  sins,  and  rose  again  for  our  justification  ; 
and  if  we  walk  in  the  light  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have 
fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
his  son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 

As  a  conclusion  to  this  account  of  the  doctrines  of 
Friends,  it  may  be  observed,  that  the  apprehension  which 
the  reviewer  seems  to  entertain  relative  to  the  effect  of  a 
belief  in  the  present  existence  of  divine  revelation,  appears 
to  me  entirely  groundless.  He  seems  to  suppose  that  this 
belief  must  lead  to  a  disregard  for  the  Holy  Scriptures. 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  55 

As  if  a  conviction  that  the  humble  followers  of  Christ,  in 
the  present  day,  are  endued  with  a  measure  of  the  same 
spirit  that  dictated  those  invaluable  writings,  could  dimin- 
ish our  esteem  for  them.  The  apprehension,  indeed,  de- 
pends for  all  its  plausibility,  upon  his  own  gratuitous 
assumption,  that  "  the  days  of  inspiration  are  past ;"  and 
consequently  that  the  belief  in  it  is  nothing  but  fanaticism. 
But,  for  any  thing  he  has  jyroved,  the  doctrine  of  Friends 
upon  this  subject,  may  be  true  ;  and,  unless  the  Scriptures 
are  no  less  mystical  than  he  represents  the  writings  of 
Friends  to  be,  it  must  be  true.  If  it  is  true,  a  result  dia- 
metrically opposite  to  that  supposed  by  him,  appears 
inevitable.  In  whatever  direction  we  turn  our  attention, 
we  find  men  always  pleased  with  the  productions  of  conge- 
nial minds.  The  mind  in  which  piety  predominates,  loves 
to  dwell  upon  the  experience  and  reflections  of  those  who 
have  trod  the  path  before  them.  The  mathematician 
pores  with  delight  over  the  volumes  of  Newton  and  La 
Place  ;  the  man  of  poetic  fancy  gives  his  days  and  nights 
to  the  works  of  Homer  and  Milton ;  the  chemist  traces 
with  eagerness  the  steps  of  Lavoisier  and  Davy  ;  the  lover 
of  fictitious  adventure  ingulphs  with  voracity  the  produc- 
tions of  Scott  and  Voltaire ;  and  even  the  writings  of  Dr. 
Cox  may  be  read  and  admired. 

The  arguments  in  support  of  the  truth  and  divine  autho- 
rity of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  addressed  to  the 
understanding,  and  by  which  the  cavils  of  the  infidel  are 
successfully  exposed,  are  as  accessible  to  those  who  admit 
the  doctrine  of  an  inward  light,  as  to  those  that  oppose  it. 
There  is  nothing  in  this  doctrine,  which  indisposes  the 
mind  to  yield  a  rational  assent  to  the  force  of  historical 
evidence,  or  prevents  the  understanding  from  being  pro- 
perly impressed  with  the  numerous  conclusive  arguments, 
which  learning  and  ingenuity  have  advanced,  in  favour  of 
the  Christian  religion.  On  the  other  hand,  a  sincere  belief  in 

9 


66  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

the  actual  fulfilment  of  the  gracious  promises  with  which 
the  sacred  writings  abound,  and  a  practical  experience  of 
the  operation  of  divine  grace,  agreeably  to  Scripture  tes- 
timony, must  unavoidably  render  the  Scriptures  both  more 
instructive  and  more  delightful.  We  accordingly  find  that 
those  who  pay  the  most  scrupulous  regard  to  the  unfold- 
ings  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth  upon  their  own  minds,  are 
among  the  most  diligent  readers  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
And  the  fact,  that  the  admission  of  this  doctrine,  and  a 
practical  conformity  to  it,  always  lead  to  this  result,  is  no 
inconsiderable  evidence  of  the  correctness  of  the  doctrine 
itself 

The  reviewer  avows  that  the  doctrine  of  an  inward  light 
is  unfavourable  to  missionary  eflTort ;  and  broadly  insinu- 
ates that  Friends  are  disposed  to  leave  the  conversion  of 
the  heathen  entirely  to  the  silent  operations  of  this  prin- 
ciple. Holding  the  opinions  they  do  in  regard  to  Gospel 
ministry,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  they  should  unite 
with  others,  or  be  active  themselves,  in  hiring  persons  to 
go  and  preach  to  the  heathen  nations.  It  is,  however,  well 
known,  that  Friends  both  in  Europe  and  America,  have 
taken  a  very  active  part  in  the  distribution  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Where  have  the  poor  benighted  Africans 
found  so  many,  and  such  zealous  friends,  as  among  the 
members  of  this  society  ?  And  we  must  observe,  that  the 
promotion  of  their  physical  comfort  has  always  constituted 
but  a  part  of  the  object  which  Friends  have  laboured  to 
attain.  From  the  time  of  George  Fox,  who  in  the  year 
1671,  when  he  visited  Barbadoes,  made  them  the  object  of 
his  paternal  solicitude,  to  the  present  day,  their  improve- 
ment in  morals  and  religion  has  engaged  the  attention  of 
this  society.  While  even  Connecticut,  in  imitation  of  her 
sisters  of  the  south,  prohibits  by  legal  penalties  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools  for  their  instruction,  Friends  have  been 
long  employed  in  diffusing  the  benefits  of  education  among 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  07 

them.  It  was  Pennsylvania,  whose  system  of  government 
wasorigmally  modelled  by  the  benevolent  Penn,  and  where 
the  principles  of  this  society  have  made  a  stronger  impres- 
sion on  public  opinion  than  in  any  other  state  of  the  Union, 
that  first  broke  the  shackles  of  the  slave.* 

If  we  look  to  the  treatment  which  the  Indians  have 
received  from  the  settlers  of  the  different  colonies,  we  shall 
readily  perceive,  that  the  course  pursued  by  William  Penn, 
and  his  successors  in  religious  profession,  was  incompara- 
bly superior  to  that  of  most  other  colonists.  Contrast 
the  peaceful  intercourse  which  existed  between  those 
people  and  the  early  settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  with  the 
barbarous  wars  in  New  England,  and  then  say,  which 
were  most  likely,  the  Pennsylvania  Quakers,  or  the  New 
England  Calvinists,  to  evangelize  those  heathen  nations. 
Had  the  people  of  these  United  States  generally  adopted 
the  policy,  or  rather  the  religious  integrity,  of  William 
Penn  and  his  brethren,  in  relation  to  these  people,  it  is 
hardly  probable  there  would,  at  this  day,  have  been  an 
heathen  Indian  in  the  vicinity  of  the  white  settlers.  If 
William  Penn  was  able,  in  the  few  busy  years  which  he 
spent  in  America,  to  make  so  deep  an  impression  on  the 
minds  of  these  untutored  sons  of  the  forest,  what  might 
not  the  same  treatment  have  effected,  if  uniformly  contin- 
ued for  a  century  and  a  half?     Their  love  for  their  bene- 


*  In  justice  to  Massachusetts,  it  may  be  observed,  that  the 
convention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  the  state,  closed 
its  session  but  one  day  after  the  Pennsylvania  law  for  the  abo- 
lition of  slavery  was  ratified;  and  that  a  clause  similar  to  the 
first  part  of  the  declaration  of  independence,  being  introduced 
into  the  constitution,  it  was  afterwards  judicially  determined 
that  slavery  was  unconstitutional  in  that  state.  In  Pennsyl- 
vania, however,  its  abolition  was  a  direct  legislative  act. 


gg  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

factors  would  naturally  have  been  transferred  tothe  religion 
which  they  saw  productive  of  such  excellent  fruit.     But 
when  they  discovered  that   the  superior  intelligence  of 
many  professors  of  Christianity,  was  employed  to  over- 
reach and  defraud  them ;  and  that  their  religion  permitted 
them  to  engage  in  wars  no  less  savage  and  i  x  (   minating 
than  those  to  which  they  were  themselves  accustomed ; 
what  was  more  natural  than  a  belief  that  the  Christian 
religion  was  even  more  odious  than  their  own  barbarous 
theology  ?     If,  again,  these  uninstructed  heathens  could  be 
brought  to  adopt  the  opinion  of  the  reviewer,  that  the 
religion  of  Friends,  from  whom  they  have  experienced  such 
uniform  kindness,*  is  only  an  adulterated  kind  of  Christi- 


*  At  the  time  when  a  treaty  was  on  hand  at  Canandaigua,  m 
1794,   between  the   United  States  and   the  Six   Nations,  four 
chiefs,  deputed  by  the  grand  council,  waited  upon  some  Friends, 
who   at  their  request,  had   attended  there  to  afford  any  assis- 
tance, which  might  be  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  effusion  of 
blood,  and  if  possible  to  calm  and  settle  the  minds  of  the  Indians. 
Red  Jacket,  on  behalf  of  the  deputation,  after  some  introductory 
observations,  said  :  "  We  who  are  now  here,  are  but  children, 
the  ancients  being  deceased.     We  know  that  your  fathers  and 
ours,  transacted  business  together,  and  that  you  look  up  to  the 
Great  Spirit  for  his  direction  and  assistance,  and  take  no  part 
in  war.     We  suppose  you  were  all  born  on  this  island,  and  we 
consider  you  as  brethren  ;  for  though   your    ancestors  came 
over  this   water,  and  ours  were  born  here,  this  ought  to  be  no 
impediment    to     our    considering    each     other    as   brethren. 
Brothers  you  all  know  the   proposals  that  have  been  made  by 
Connitsutty,  (the  commissioner,  T.  Pickering,)   as  well  as  the 
offers  made  by  us  to  him.     We  are  all  now  in  the  presence  of 
the  Great  Spirit,  and  we  place  more  confidence  in  you  than  in 
any  other  people.     As  you  expressed  your  desire  for  peace,  we 
now  desire  your  help  and  assistance;  we  hope  you  will  not 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  69 

anity,  or  the  more  sweeping  dogma  of  his^  author,  that  it 
is  no  Christianity  at  all,  while  the  first  settlers  in  New- 
England,  who  retaliated  upon  their  Indian  opponents  all 
the  barbarities  of  American  war,  who  hanged  the  Quakers 
merely  for  being  Quakers,  and  each  oth  t  for  imaginary 
crimes,  are  to  be  esteemed  genuine,  if  not  perfectly  ortho- 
dox Christians,  they  could  scarcely  fail  to  view  the  pro- 
fession of  the  Christian  religion  with  the  utmost  abhorrence. 
Surely  the  writer  who  propagates  such  opinions  as  these, 
ought  to  be  cautious  of  reproaching  others  with  indifference 
in  regard  to  the  conversion  of  the  heathen. 

While  on  the  subject  of  converting  the  heathen,  I  must 
take  the  liberty  of  copying  a  missionary  tale  from  Elias 
Boudinot's  Star  in  the  West.  The  narrative  may  perhaps 
be  of  use  to  some  of  those  who  may  hereafter  incline  to 
apply  their  time  and  talents  to  a  similar  object. 

"  The  writer  of  these  sheets,"  he  says,  "  was,  many  years 
ago,  one  of  the  corresponding  members  of  a  society  in 
Scotland,  for  promoting  the  Gospel  among  the  Indians. 
To  further  this  great  work,  they  educated  two  young  men 
of  very  serious  and  religious  dispositions,  and  who  were 


deceive  us ;  if  you  should  do  so,  we  shall  no  more  place  any 
confidence  in  mankind."  Friends,  after  deliberation,  returned 
them  an  answer,  and  Red  Jacket  in  recapitulating  the  subjects, 
thanked  them  for  their  advice,  and  said,  although  Friends 
might  account  it  of  small  value,  they  did  not  consider  it  so, 
but  thought  it  would  afford  them  considerable  strength. 
[Relation  of  William  Savery,  who  was  present.]  In  numerous 
other  instances,  as  well  as  in  this,  they  have  evinced  their  reli- 
ance in  the  integrity  of  Friends,  frequently  declaring,  that  of 
all  people,  our  society  only  have  sought  to  promote  their  real 
comfort  and  welfare.  And  I  would  put  it  to  the  most  virulent 
opponents  of  the  society,  to  produce  an  instance  in  which  that 
confidence  has  been  betrayed. 


70  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

desirous  of  undertaking  the  mission  for  this  special  purpose. 
When  they  were  ordained  and  ready  to  depart,  we  wrote 
a  letter  in  the  Indian  style,  to  the  Delaware  nation,  then 
residing  on  the  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  informing  that  we 
had,  by  the  goodness  of  the  Great  Spirit,  been  favoured 
with  a  knowledge  of  his  will,  as  to  the  worship  he  required 
of  his  creatures,  and  the  means  he  would  bless  to  promote 
the  happiness  of  man,  both  in  this  life  and  in  that  which 
was  to  come.  That  thus  enjoying  so  much  happiness  our- 
selves, we  could  not  but  think  of  our  red  brethren  in  the 
wilderness,  and  wished  to  communicate  the  glad  tidings 
to  them,  that  they  might  be  partakers  with  us.  We  had 
therefore  sent  them  two  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  who  would 
teach  them  these  great  things ;  and  earnestly  recommended 
them  to  their  careful  attention.  With  proper  passports 
the  missionaries  set  off,  and  arrived  in  safety  at  one  of  their 
principal  towns. 

"  The  chiefs  of  the  nation  were  called  together,  who  ans- 
wered them,  that  they  would  take  it  into  consideration, 
and  in  the  mean  time  they  might  instruct  their  women, 
but  they  should  not  speak  to  the  men.  They  spent  fou.-- 
teen  days  in  council,  and  then  dismissed  them  very  cour- 
teously with  an  answer  to  us.  This  answer  made  great 
acknowledgments  for  the  favour  we  had  done  them. 
They  rejoiced  exceedingly  at  our  happiness  in  thus  being 
favoured  by  the  Great  Spirit ;  and  felt  very  grateful  that 
we  had  condescended  to  remember  our  brethren  in  the 
wilderness.  But  they  could  not  help  recollecting,  that  we 
had  a  people  among  us,  whom,  because  they  differred 
from  us  in  colour,  we  made  slaves  of,  and  made  them  suf- 
fer great  hardships,  and  lead  miserable  lives.  Now  they 
could  not  see  any  reason,  if  a  people  being  ft/ac/r,  entitled  us 
thus  to  deal  with  them,  why  a  red  colour  would  not  equally 
justify  the  same  treatment.  They  therefore  had  determined 
to  wait,  to  see  whether  all  the  black  people  among  us  were 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  7I 

made  thus  happy  and  joyful,  before  they  could  put  confi- 
dence in  our  promises ;  for  they  thought  a  people  who  had 
suffered  so  much  and  so  long  by  our  means,  should  be 
entitled  to  our  first  attention;  they  had  therefore  sent 
back  the  two  missionaries,  with  many  thanks,  promising, 
that  when  they  saw  the  black  people  among  us  restored  to 
freedom  and  happiness,  they  would  gladly  receive  our 
missionaries." 

Contrast  this  circumstance  with  one  that  occurred  in 
the  autumn  of  1803.  Friends  of  Philadelphia  Yearly  Meet- 
ing being  engaged  in  promoting  the  civilization  and  im- 
provement of  the  Indians  residing  in  the  western  parts  of 
New  York,  a  few  individuals  paid  a  visit  to  them  at  the  time 
above  mentioned.  While  sitting  one  evening  with  the 
chief  warrior,  at  Catarawgus,  he  said  he  wished  to  ask  them 
a  question,  but  was  almost  afraid.  They  desired  him  to 
speak,  assuring  him  of  their  willingness  to  give  him  such 
information  as  they  could.  His  question  was,  "  Do  the 
Quakers  keep  any  slaves  ?"  Upon  being  told  they  did  not, 
he  said  he  was  very  glad  to  hear  it,  for  if  they  had,  he 
could  not  have  thought  so  well  of  them  as  he  now  did. 
That  he  had  been  at  the  city  Washington,  and  observed 
that  many  white  people  kept  the  blacks  in  slavery,  and 
used  them  no  better  than  horses.  [Report  of  committee 
for  improving  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  pa.  43.]  If  a 
similar  question  had  been  put  to  Presbyterian  missionaries, 
what  reply  could  they  have  made  ? 

The  reviewer  is  probably  unacquainted  with  the  exer- 
tions of  Friends  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  adjacent  states, 
to  promote  the  civilization  of  the  Indian  natives.  It  is, 
however,  true,  that  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  Philadelphia* 

*  This  meeting  is  composed  of  Friends  residing  in  Ne\r  Jer- 
sey, Delaware,  and  the  eastern  parts  of  Pennsylvania.  It  is 
therefore  to  be  observed,  that  what  is  said  respecting  Friends  of 


72  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

has  ever  since  the  year  1795,  had  a  standing  committee 
charged  with  this  business  ;  that  during  great  part  of 
this  time,  some  Friends  have  been  stationed  among  the 
Indians,  or  in  their  immediate  vicinity,  for  the  purpose  of 
instructing  them  ;  and  that  in  the  prosecution  of  this 
benevolent  work,  more  than  sixty  thousand  dollars  have 
been  expended  out  of  funds  raised  entirely  within  the  lim- 
its of  the  society.  The  jealousy  which  the  want  of  good 
faith  on  the  part  of  the  white  settlers,  has  excited  in  the 
minds  of  these  people,  may  be  assigned  as  one  reason  why 
the  efforts  of  Friends  have  not  been  productive  of  more 
extensive  and  conspicuous  advantages.  They  very  natu- 
rally conclude  that  the  perfidy  so  frequently  associated 
with  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  had  some  necessary  connec- 
tion with  them ;  they  therefore  fear  that  their  children  by 
learning  the  arts,  will  acquire  also  the  vices  of  their  more 
enlightened  neighbours.  And  this  fear  is  not  entirely  dis- 
sipated by  the  confidence,  great  as  it  is,  which  they  gene- 
rally repose  in  the  integrity  of  Friends.  Still  their  situa- 
tion at  the  present  day,  compared  with  what  it  was  forty 
years  ago,  sufficiently  proves  their  capacity  for  civilization. 
The  exertions  of  Friends  for  improving  their  situation, 
not  in  the  vicinity  of  Pennsylvania  only,  but  wherever  any 
considerable  number  of  the  society  have  resided  in  their 
neighborhood,  as  well  as  the  visits  frequently  paid  to  them 
by  our  ministers,  fully  refute  the  assertion  of  the  reviewer, 
that  the  doctrine  of  an  inward  light  leads  to  apathy  in 
regard  to  active  exertion  for  the  extension  of  Christian 
principles.  Indeed,  this  very  doctrine  which  he  has  taken 
so  much  pains  to  ridicule,  for  I  can  hardly  admit  that  he 
has  produced  any  arguments,  to  disprove  it,  has  been 
found,  even  among  these  unlettered  tenants  of  the  wilder- 


Pennsylvania,  is  generally    applicable   those  of  New  Jersey 
and  Delaware, 


SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.  73 

ness,  productive  of  the  most  salutary  effects.  Of  this,  Pa- 
poonahoal,  was  a  remarkable  instance.  This  Indian,  with- 
out the  assistance  of  books,  or  outward  instruction,  but 
by  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Spirit  upon  his  own 
mind,  was  converted  from  a  dissolute  life  to  one  of  exem- 
plary piety  ;  and  became,  like  Noah  of  old,  a  preacher  of 
righteousness  to  his  countrymen.  The  rarity  of  instances 
like  this,  shows  the  importance  of  religious  instruction,  but 
their  occurring  at  all,  proves  the  sufficiency  of  the  inward 
grace. 

Having,  as  I  conceive,  sufficiently  exposed  the  errors  of 
the  reviewer,  I  shall,  after  his  example,  close  my  commu- 
nication with  a  friendly  admonition.  That,  before  he 
again  attempts  either  to  explain  or  ridicule  the  doctrines 
of  any  religious  society,  he  would  be  at  the  trouble  of  in- 
forming himself  what  those  doctrines  really  are ;  lest  by 
indulging  a  zeal  that  has  more  warmth  than  light,  he 
should  be  found  in  the  predicament  against  which  the  pru- 
dent Gamaliel  cautioned  his  brethren.  Acts,  v.  39. 


10 


>iX 


i 


